Falling in Love All Over Again
by Aria6
Summary: Juushiro falls to his disease, leaving Shunsui utterly bereft without his best friend and lover. But is that truly the end? Souls are reborn into the Living World and Shunsui can't get that out of his mind. Wandering through the Living World, he happens to find what he is seeking... but is he? And what will the consequences be? Shunsui/Juushiro
1. Chapter 1

Shunsui looked into his cup of sake, feeling more bereft than he ever had in his life.

Juushiro was gone. It still didn't seem real. He'd always known that Juushiro's time was limited. The disease he'd suffered with for so long would kill him, one way or another. But he'd survived over nine hundred years with it. Every time he suffered an attack, Retsu managed to bring him through. How could she fail after all this time? But she could. He knew that all too well, now.

Reaching for a piece of paper, he blinked as his hand hit nothing but desk. Glancing around he saw that his desk was empty, except for a pile of neat papers to one side. Those were the ones he'd already seen to. Standing up with a frown, he went to find his fukutaichou.

"Nanao-chan?" She was at her desk, industriously working away. He smiled sadly at the sight. Some things never changed. "Where's the rest of my work?" There had to be more. It was a never ending struggle, trying to keep his desk even slightly clean. She looked up at him with an odd expression.

"Kyoraku taichou?" She said in a tentative tone, like something was very wrong. He just looked at her, vaguely puzzled. "I delivered all your work this morning." He stared at her for a moment before looking back towards his office. The neat stack of paperwork didn't change.

"…I finished it?" He mused before laughing. It was a soft, sad chuckle. "He would be proud of me…" His eyes suddenly brimmed with tears and he had to reach up to wipe them away. The pain was almost unbearable. Warm arms suddenly went around him and he turned to see Nanao's concerned face.

"Perhaps you should go home, Kyoraku taichou?" She asked gently but that was really the last thing he wanted to do. Go home to an empty house, that still smelled like him… he would feel like Juushiro would be opening the door any moment… "I'll take you." She put a hand on his arm and he smiled at her, a forlorn, bereft expression.

"Thank you Nanao-chan. Perhaps that would be for the best." As painful as it was, he had to go home sooner or later. He couldn't live at his Division. Putting an arm around Nanao, they left together. He was more than willing to take comfort from her.

He needed all the help he could get in this difficult time.

* * *

Time dulled the pain, as it always does.

But a thought occurred to Kyoraku Shunsui and it was one he just couldn't shake. Juushiro would be reborn into the Living World. He would live there, grow into an adult and eventually return to Soul Society. Was it possible that they could meet again?

He knew it was stupid. Even if he met the reborn Juushiro there was no guarantee he would recognize him. Anyone would say it was impossible, he would be an entirely new person. But Shunsui didn't believe that, not really. Juushiro's kind personality… the air of peace he created about himself… could that really change? He doubted it. No, Juushiro would be an amazing person as a living man, just as he'd been an amazing shinigami.

Still, for the longest time he resisted acting on it. But when almost twenty years had passed, he couldn't help himself. He began haunting the Living World. Not neglecting his duties but every time he had a chance, he passed through the senkaimon and just wandered, often in a gigai. Hoping, in a forlorn way, that he might wander into his lost love. If anyone in Soul Society realized what he was doing they said nothing about it. Perhaps they pitied him and his hopeless quest. After all, looking for a single soul in the teeming world of the living was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Or rather, a needle in a sea of haystacks. Sighing to himself, he opened the door to a coffee shop –

And was almost knocked down by a young man who was struggling to carry far too many coffee cups at once. He reacted without thinking and caught two of them before they could go down. The young man just barely managed to juggle the other four.

"Oh thank you! I'm so sorry." He said quickly and Shunsui smiled at him gently before setting the two cups in his hands. Although he did raise his eyebrows a bit at the situation.

"Don't they have any cup carriers?" This was clearly too many for the young man to handle. He shook his head, soft black hair drifting slightly with the movement. The smile on his face was achingly sweet but also resigned. The expression was so familiar it took his breath away. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him but he'd seen Juushiro smile like that so many times, usually when discussing his disease.

"They were out. I'll manage, thank you." He said and Shunsui held open the door for him to go. As he stepped inside, though, he couldn't help but turn to watch the young man go. Could he possibly…?

"Juu?" He whispered, knowing it was insane. He couldn't have stumbled over Juushiro's reincarnation.

But some crazed, half-starved part of himself was dancing for joy.

* * *

Of course, going from meeting someone briefly in a coffee shop to actually getting to know them was a bit of a challenge. However, he lucked into a good source of information and quickly, too.

"Jun? He's a very nice boy." The barista, an older woman, looking at him with a trace of suspicion. "You're not some old pervert, are you?" She asked bluntly and Shunsui almost choked. He was old by anyone's standards and pervert… well… yes. He wasn't about to say that to her, though.

"I'm just wondering. He interests me." He said with a charming smile and felt the barista's resistance melting a bit. It helped that he was the only person in the coffee shop at the moment. She had time to chat. "Please, can you tell me more?"

"Well, I suppose it can't hurt… he works over at one of these buildings around here." She said, waving her hand in a vague gesture that took in all the office buildings surrounding them. This was a very industrial part of town. "He's an intern at a film studio. Hoping to break into the business… poor boy, they work him like a dog over there. He's constantly running around for something. It's gotten better, though. He's learned when to stick up for himself, you know?" She said and Shunsui nodded, remembering Juushiro at the Academy. He'd had a similar problem until he'd learned when to tell the other cadets that he just couldn't help. "He has two little sisters. They had some kind of bring your kids to the studio day and they stopped by here for lunch. Very nice girls, said please and thank you like little ladies. Say, do you want some coffee? I should probably do some work around here…" She said, suddenly noticing that he was lacking a cup. Shunsui chuckled softly before looking over the menu.

"A green tea, please." He ordered and spoke as she was preparing his beverage. "He sounds like a very responsible young man." Another similarity. Although he kept trying to caution himself that he knew nothing. All he had to go on was a smile. The barista spoke over her shoulder.

"Yes, he is. He's a very sweet boy, too. Once I burnt myself back here and he tried to help. I didn't need it but it was nice of him." She said and he nodded, feeling a twist in his heart. That sounded like Juushiro as well. "Here you are. Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No… just… does he come here often?" He let the wistfulness enter his tone and saw her eyes soften a bit. "I think I would like to see him again." She smiled at him before responding.

"Every morning he comes in. Those film people need their coffee. He usually doesn't stay long, though. If you want to talk to him you should come by later, after he's done work. Around five or so, it varies a bit." She offered and he nodded.

"I might do that." He said easily. Although the time he could spend in the Living World was still heavily constrained by his position as a taichou. He wasn't willing to neglect that, not yet.

As tantalizing as this hint was, it was nothing but a hint.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Shunsui haunted that little coffee shop.

He could only come by once in a while so it was no surprise that it took a bit for him to truly meet Jun. His work times seemed to be quite irregular and he didn't come by the coffee shop every day after work. Finally, though, he saw the young man at a table. He was sipping a coffee with an absorbed look on his face, his eyes on a book in front of him. Shunsui smiled and made his way over, cup of tea in hand.

"Hello. Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked easily and the young man looked up with a faintly wary expression. It quickly turned into a smile, though, that reached and warmed soft brown eyes.

"Not at all." He said and Shunsui smiled back, examining the young man for a moment.

He didn't really look much like Juushiro, physically. His skin was a much darker shade, darker than his own. His hair was jet black but fine and rather fluffy. It was styled so it fell over one eye, a large silky bunch of bangs. It was cut short in the back, giving a rather adorable look. His face was attractive without being stunning and Shunsui vaguely noticed that he had a scar there, a faint line along his left cheek. Most people wouldn't have noticed, but he wasn't most people and he wondered how the young man had acquired it. What made him truly appealing were his eyes. They were warm and friendly and seemed to hint at the kind, gentle person that lay beneath. Or so he fancied, at least. He didn't know the boy at all yet.

"I'm Kyoraku Shunsui." He introduced himself as the young man smiled again.

"I'm Shimizi Jun." He said before his smile widened, the slightly flash of white teeth against that dark skin. "And you're the 'nice man' who's been asking about me." He said as Shunsui took a sip of his tea and nearly choked. Jun saw the surprise on his face and chuckled softly. "Mari can keep a secret but you have to specify that it is a secret, or she babbles to everyone." He said and Shunsui shook his head with a smile.

"Of course." It should have occurred to him that the chatty barista would tell the target of his interests about him. "Guilty as charged. I hope you'll forgive me but I just thought you looked interesting." He said easily and Jun smiled, sipping his coffee.

"I don't mind. The truth is, I thought you looked interesting too. I was hoping we might meet again." He said lightly and Shunsui smiled thoughtfully. So Jun had felt something too? Although perhaps that was reading too much into things.

For almost an hour, they talked. Shunsui didn't precisely lie, but he dredged up ancient memories, giving Jun a few stories from his Academy days. In return, he learned a bit about the young man. Jun had dreams of breaking into the film industry, just as the barista had said. He hoped to be the next Steven Spielberg but admitted he would probably be settling for something less grand. The prospect didn't seem to bother him. Some of the stories he had of working on the film set were quite hilarious although one thing he said caught Shunsui's attention.

"I swear, working with these two bit actors and actresses and our one genuine star… it's like dealing with small children sometimes. Fortunately, I know how to manage them." He said with a smile that was achingly like Juushiro's. "I'm often put on 'star managing' duty because of how sympathetic I am. That's what the owner says, at least. I wish I could pass but I admit, I'm good at it."

"Yes, you always were… I mean, I imagine you would be." Shunsui said as Jun looked momentarily puzzled. Then the young man shrugged slightly.

"Well, I should probably be going." He made to stand and Shunsui reached out, resting a hand over his.

"Would you like to meet again sometime?" He asked, hoping the other man would say yes. "Next week, same time, same place?" He couldn't really come back to the Living World sooner than that. Jun seemed startled for a moment, then smiled.

"I would love to, Kyoraku-san." He said and suddenly, that formality seemed unbearable to him.

"Please, call me Shunsui." He said, meeting warm brown eyes. Then Jun nodded with that heartbreakingly familiar smile.

"And you can call me Jun. But I do need to go, I have to get home." He said before leaving. Shunsui watched him go with a pensive smile. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Well, not yet. But if this continued the way he wanted it to, he would eventually be censured for it.

Somehow, that didn't bother him very much at all.

* * *

For the next few months, Shunsui was happier than he'd been for years.

Everyone noticed. Nanao found it quite annoying, as he playfully teased her and badly neglected his paperwork. Everyone else noticed the spring in his step and the bottle of sake in his hand and wondered what had changed. They knew he hadn't found a new love interest. Despite his flirting, his only interactions since Juushiro's death had been casual ones.

Strangely enough, no one seemed to connect his happiness to his frequent visits to the Living World. But then, he was very discreet about his use of the senkaimon. He'd even taken to using the dangai instead, to avoid leaving too many trails. All to visit his new friend.

In some ways, he and Jun had nothing in common. Jun was a young man in the Living World while Shunsui was one of the eldest taichou in Soul Society. But despite that, they clicked very well. And they started sharing things. Nanao was a bit surprised to see the mystery novel on his desk and Jun's little sister was a bit startled by the copy of the Rose Colored Path she found in her brother's room.

Then Jun invited Shunsui to come to his families' home for supper. He gladly accepted, wanting to see the young man's family. He arrived with a bottle of wine in hand and smiled as a young girl opened the door. She looked much like Jun, with black hair and dark brown eyes. If he was any guess, she was ten years old.

"Oh, you must be Shunsui!" She said with a smile and he nodded, returning it. "I'm Mika. Please come in."

"Thank you." He replied as he stepped inside, removing his shoes and adding them to the collection by the door. "How are you Mika?" He asked as he saw another face peeking out from behind a banister, this one quite a bit older but also shyer. "And is that your sister?" He motioned towards the face, which promptly disappeared. Mika laughed.

"I'm fine! And yes, that's Kimio. She's shy." She said and he nodded with a smile. "You should put that on the table. Jun's making supper." That surprised him slightly.

"Oh, your mother and father aren't home?" He asked casually and was surprised when Mika's expression suddenly clouded. "Mika?"

"Oh, Jun didn't tell you? Our mother's dead." She said with sad directness and he stared at her, feeling a touch shocked. Not by the information but by the fact that Jun hadn't mentioned it. "She was murdered last year."

"…Last year?" A recent loss. He shook his head. "No, he didn't mention that." He said softly and she nodded sadly.

"He's pretty cut up about it. Don't worry, hey? Anyway, he's in the kitchen making supper. Dad's out and he doesn't cook anyhow." The way she said it was just slightly contemptuous. "Want me to show you?"

"If you could." Shunsui glanced around as she showed him to the kitchen. This was an older home and kept very clean by someone. There were pictures scattered around and in several of them he saw a woman with very long, straight black hair, dark skin and a warm smile. He was certain that was Jun's mother.

The kitchen was galley style, without much room, so Shunsui just watched with a smile as Jun expertly chopped an onion. He was fast and agile with a knife and Shunsui felt another stab of familiarity. Juushiro had always been an excellent cook. Sensing him there, Jun looked up and then smiled.

"Shunsui! I'm so glad to see you. Please, make yourself at home." He invited and Shunsui smiled as he leaned against a wall. This house was not open concept in any way so if he wanted to talk to Jun, he needed to stay in the kitchen. "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the place?"

"No, it was quite easy." He said as he watched Jun pulling something out of the oven. "What is that?"

"Macaroni and cheese. My sisters both love it." He said with a slight blush and Shunsui smiled at the adorable image he presented. "I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all." He said easily. "I enjoy trying different things." And that was definitely different from what they usually served in the Seireitei. Things didn't change there often and the culinary arts were no exception. "What else are we having?" He asked curiously and Jun was not loathe to answer.

"Brussel sprouts with garlic and chives and steak." He said, pulling the steaks out of the fridge. They were in a bag full of some kind of dark marinade. Jun took them out and laid them on the grill. "Everything should be done in, oh fifteen minutes. That will give the mac and cheese a bit of time to cool." He explained and Shunsui smiled, watching.

"You think of everything." That kind of precision also reminded him of Juushiro. "Would you like any help?" He offered although he wasn't sure what he could do. Jun did have an answer to that, though.

"Could you get Mika to take the dessert out of the other fridge? It needs to warm up a bit." He asked and Shunsui smiled as he went to do that. This was all very pleasant. It reminded him a bit of Juushiro's family at the Ugendo. Although there had been more of them and none of them had been nearly as shy as Kimio. He still had yet to catch a real look at her.

His vague impressions of a very close, loving family shifted, though, as he met Jun's father. After living a thousand years Shunsui fancied he was a fairly good judge of character. He was far from infallible – Aizen had been completely beneath his radar – but he still thought of himself as relatively good. And he didn't like Jun's father. He was a tall man with dark skin and the same brown eyes and black hair as his son and daughters. He had an easy smile but it never touched his eyes and Shunsui was fairly certain there was something unpleasant beneath. He didn't really want to search enough to find out exactly what.

The meal went pleasantly, though. He finally got to see Kimio and saw that she was a slightly gangly, underdeveloped teenager. A quick question told him she was fourteen.

"I told him about mum, Jun. You forgot." Maki said halfway through the meal and Shunsui winced slightly at the surprise followed by deep pain on Jun's face. He took a breath to steady himself smiling. It was that pained, resigned smile that was far too familiar and it hurt his heart to see.

"Oh. Thank you. I… should have mentioned it." He said and Maki just nodded as she ate some more of her mac and cheese. It seemed a bit callous, perhaps, but Shunsui could see why she'd said that. Now Jun wouldn't have to talk about it any further.

"You know, you seem a bit old for my son. What's your age?" Jun's father asked and Shunsui favored him with a smile. He would have appreciated the question more if he'd thought the man actually cared about his answer, but he was relatively sure he didn't. He had the distinct feeling he was saying it just for form's sake, because that was what a father was supposed to do.

"I suppose I am a bit older. I'm thirty-two." He lied easily. Jun's father frowned slightly, eyes narrowing at him as Shunsui met them calmly. He had a feeling the dislike between them was mutual and didn't really regret it.

"Dad, it's fine. I can take care of myself." Jun said pacifyingly as Maki spoke up.

"Yeah dad, older guys dig him all the time. Remember the one he dated for a while? He was older than you!" Jun turned a little pink and Shunsui found his attention diverted as the father of the family grimaced. That sounded like there might be an interesting story involved.

"Rikka-chan says he's an old soul." For the first time of the night Kimio spoke in something other than a mumble and Shunsui was surprised at how melodic her voice was. Really, it was a beautiful sound. He swallowed as the meaning of her words penetrated and made him wonder. Was this Rikka more correct than anyone could guess?

"Rikka is a charlatan. I'm going out. Jun, take care of things." He said before standing and leaving, more than a bit rudely. Shunsui was startled by it but just as glad to see him go. He really had no desire to be around the man. Kimio and Jun both looked appalled as Maki just shrugged and ate a bit more food. They waited until the door had shut before Jun spoke.

"I'm so sorry. He's… a bit difficult sometimes." He said weakly and Shunsui gave him an understanding smile.

"It's fine. We all have difficult relatives." He said easily, thinking of his own. Although they were difficult in an entirely different way. You wouldn't catch any of them being so blatantly rude. Jun smiled warmly at him, appreciating his understanding. Kimio just mumbled something as Maki sighed and hopped off her chair.

"Who wants dessert?" She asked brightly and Shunsui glanced over the table. It was true, the meal had been pretty much demolished. "I'll get it!"

"I'll clean up while you do that." Jun said and began clearing the table. Shunsui helped, letting his hands brush over Jun's for a brief moment. Their eyes met and he felt a shiver along his spine, a sexual connection being made. Jun turned a rather adorable pink before turning his attention back to the plates and dishes.

Soon enough the table was clear and new plates were being brought out as Maki cut the cake. It was actually a cheesecake, covered in whipped cream. Shunsui took his piece with a smile and was quite surprised when he bit into it. It tasted like lemons and limes and was simply delicious. He normally wasn't that fond of cheesecake but found himself devouring it and wondering if he could have a second slice.

"Do you want more? We've got lots, especially now that dad left." Maki gave the door a look of flat dislike and Shunsui smiled charmingly at her.

"I would, thank you. It's wonderful." He said honestly and Jun laughed softly. He glanced at the young man and he smiled, gesturing towards Kimio.

"She made it. She's absolutely wonderful at baking." He said warmly and his sister shook her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face. "You should try her cookies sometime. They're so insanely gooey, we all think they're the best things she makes."

"Yeah, Kimio is awesome." Maki said as her sister looked ready to sink under the table. Shunsui couldn't help but smile at the sight. Had he ever known anyone that retiring? Only Hanataro could compare and he wasn't even sure about that.

After the meal, he joined Jun in his room for a bit of private time. Although unfortunately, it wasn't quite private enough.

"Sorry. Dad won't let us have locks on our doors and with my sisters…" Jun said with a small grimace as Shunsui nodded understandingly. He was actually aching to take the young man into his arms, but he could hold back. And there was also the fact that once he took Jun to bed, he really would be crossing a line. Right now, he was just skirting the edge of it. He could still pull back.

"It's alright. I don't mind taking this slowly." He assured the young man, who looked relieved. "And I wish I could take you to my apartment. But my roommate…" He shrugged, wishing he didn't have to lie quite so much. Although he tried to use the truth as much as possible. Jun knew about his seven brothers and sisters, even if he didn't know they were technically all dead. Jun smiled at him and it was heartbreakingly sweet.

"It's fine. If… you want to, we should split the cost and get a hotel room sometime." He said shyly and Shunsui swallowed at the thought. And he could see a warm gleam of anticipation in those beautiful brown eyes.

"Ah, don't tease me." He said, his voice husky with need and saw Jun swallow. Then the young man smiled and changed the subject, to avoid something they wouldn't want his sisters to overhear, no doubt.

"So what did you think of my family?" He asked lightly and Shunsui smiled as he thought of them.

"Your sisters are adorable." He said before hesitating for a brief moment. "Your father is, ah, different." He said as tactfully as possible. Jun smiled, although not happily.

"You don't like him. It's fine, I don't like him much either." He said quietly before sighing softly. "It wasn't too obvious before mother died. I think she was covering for him. But since she left us, we've… learned not to count on him for much." There was a pain in his eyes that made Shunsui want to take him into his arms and soothe the hurt away. For a moment he held back but then wondered why. That thought led to action and he moved beside Jun, pulling the smaller man against him. He was very slender, not emaciated like Juushiro had been but just lightly built.

"It's alright. It's good to see that you're taking care of your sisters." He said softly. Shunsui was certain that was the whole reason Jun was still living at home. He was the man of the house, far more than his father. Jun settled against him with a small sigh.

"Thank you." He said softly and Shunsui smiled at that head of jet black hair. He'd never seen Juushiro's hair when it had been black. He'd bleached to white before he'd joined the Academy. Then he followed another impulse and gently cupped Jun's chin, pulling the smaller man into a kiss.

It was their first kiss and it was a touch awkward, at first. Jun was clearly taken by surprise and uncertain how to react. But Shunsui resolved that for him, gently running a hand through his hair as he took control, deepening the kiss. Jun slowly began to respond, his tongue tentatively moving against his.

For Shunsui, the young man beside him tasted sweet. It was like stepping back into the past, the first time he and Juushiro had kissed. That had been an impulse, much like this. And just like that long ago time, it was wonderful. Shunsui let his hands stray a bit, feeling the wiry muscles under the young man's clothing. Jun might be small but he was hard, fit and in shape.

They finally parted and Shunsui smiled at the slightly shocked look on Jun's face. Although he felt much the same way. Despite all his centuries of experience, he felt high just from that kiss. More than anything he wanted to go further, but the sudden scrape of the door reminded them both of where they were. It didn't open completely, just enough to catch their attention.

"Jun? When you're done can you help me with my homework? I can't get this math problem." Maki's voice came to them and Shunsui pulled away with a sigh as Jun blushed.

"Ah, I suppose not." He murmured and Jun's blush darkened for a moment before he called to his sister.

"Sure! I'll be there soon Maki." He promised before turning his attention back to the man beside him. "Maybe we should get that hotel room soon." He said and Shunsui smiled at the thought.

"Maybe we should." He said, feeling the heat between them again. He knew that once he took that step, there would be no going back. But, did he really care? That was the question. And even if he did care, did he care enough to deny himself this chance?

He wouldn't know until the time came but right now, all the signs pointed to no.


	2. Crossing the Line

"Kyoraku taichou!" Shunsui started violently as Nanao glared at him. "Have you completed those reports yet?"

"Um…" He had no idea what reports she was referring to. "Could you jog my memory Nanao-chan?" He asked charmingly. She was not in the least bit mollified. In fact, she seemed furious.

"The ones I've been asking you about all morning! Kyoraku taichou, have you even started?" She asked and he looked over his desk with a mild sense of panic. The stacks of paperwork were threatening to bury him. "…These ones! You haven't started! They have to be done for the captain's meeting this evening!"

"Ah, I had best hurry then?" He asked disingenuously before looking over the paperwork. Fortunately, it was mostly things he had to sign off on. Unfortunately, he really needed to read them before he put his signature to them. If anything was found to be wrong after he signed, it would be on his head.

So Shunsui began reading the reports. It was still a bit hard to concentrate but Nanao kept giving him time reminders, which did help to concentrate his mind. He got done with almost a half-hour to spare, which he considered an achievement. Smiling, he went to the meeting with a spring in his step and joy in his heart. The meeting seemed to sail by. Eventually he was able to make his escape and left, practically buzzing with happiness. So Shunsui missed Yamamoto giving his back a keen, interested look.

"Soi Fon taichou, have you noticed something odd about Kyoraku taichou?" He asked. She had lingered to give him reports on a few things that did not necessarily have to be shared with the others. She frowned, looking after the departed taichou.

"He seems to be very cheerful, Soutaichou." She said neutrally. She didn't particularly like or dislike Kyoraku Shunsui. They had a good working relationship and Soi Fon had a good idea of his failings, but ignored them in favor of his strengths. Kyoraku was one of the strongest, most brilliant and intelligent men she'd ever met, in many ways. His addiction to sake and his very odd behavior didn't really detract from that. Yamamoto stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"A touch too cheerful… I had thought he was merely overcoming his grief, but now I wonder. Soi Fon, can you please look into what he's up to? It may be nothing but I would like to know." He said, concern for his old student in his voice. Soi Fon nodded. It really likely was nothing, but she would investigate anyway.

Elsewhere, unaware of the fact that he'd acquired extra attention, Shunsui smiled as he put the finishing touches on his newest installment of the Rose Colored Path. It had been on hiatus from the Seireitei Communications for literally years after Juushiro's death, and then spotty for a time after that. But now he was back in full swing, to the pleasure of his two fans. So far he hadn't attracted any more, but he didn't mind a bit. After rereading it for any mistakes he took a deep drink of his sake before settling in for the night. As he slept, he dreamed of two faces… one old and one new and both very beloved.

* * *

Shunsui smiled as he watched Jun try the food. He'd invited his new friend to supper at a restaurant he'd visited before. It was a touch expensive, perhaps, but money was never a problem for him. His family had large properties in the Living World as well as their estates in Soul Society.

If they hadn't been on the patio he would never have known. But a pair of young boys dashed by and Shunsui's eyes flickered as he caught the tinkle of chains, the signs that they were ghosts. He vaguely noted them for later. Perhaps before he left, he would find them and give them konso. But as he thought that he caught the flicker of Jun's eyes, the way his head turned to track the boys before looking back. His eyes widened as he realized.

_He can see them too?_ That was somewhat surprising. Being a taichou in Soul Society did not necessarily translate into spiritual awareness in the Living World. Often, power was only rediscovered when the person in question passed back to Soul Society. Sometimes it was never discovered, lying dormant until a much later incarnation or a rebirth directly into Soul Society. If Jun could see the ghosts… Shunsui smiled to himself. That would mean his power was active, not latent. And it was another sign that his suspicions about Jun's true nature could be very accurate indeed.

"Tell me, Jun. Do you believe in ghosts?" He asked with a smile as he took a bit of sushi. The young man across from him gave him that beautiful smile before responding.

"Oh no, I don't believe in them." He said lightly and Shunsui's eyes widened before he caught himself. Then he smiled in appreciation as he understood. That was exactly how Juushiro would have put it.

"I phrased that poorly. Do you know they exist?" He asked softly and Jun's eyes widened slightly. "Do you see them?" Because you didn't 'believe' in things you knew were real. A rock, a table… did you believe in such things? No, you simply knew they were there. Jun looked down at his food, a flash of sadness passing over his face.

"You see them too?" He asked quietly and Shunsui nodded. "I've always been able to see them. After mother died I – I saw her for a while. I spoke to her… but one day she vanished. I hope she's well." He sounded forlorn and Shunsui hoped a shinigami had shown the plus soul the way to Soul Society. She couldn't have become a hollow on her own. If she had, Jun would have seen her… as she tried to eat him. "Rikka can see them too. She's not just a charlatan, she can even do some other things."

"Who is this Rikka?" He asked, curious. Other things? Jun sipped his tea before responding.

"She's a tarot card and palm reader. She also does curses and other things for the people who believe in it. Most of her curses are just silliness but she does have a few that work. And a few spells… she tried to teach them to me but I only managed to learn one and it's more trouble than it's worth." He said, mildly pained. Shunsui lifted his eyebrows, deciding that he wanted to meet this Rikka. Was she using actual demon magic or had she just made up things on her own?

"Really? What spell was that?" He asked and Jun grimaced slightly.

"A locking ward. I've used it on boxes. The problem is, the symbols need to be painted on in the casters' blood. It's a bit hard to explain to my sisters and also, warding any larger area… it's just not practical. Rikka only uses it for her cash box." He said and Shunsui nodded, deciding this Rikka had likely made up things by herself. There were kido users in the Rukongai like that, although it was very impressive to come across it in the Living World. Most humans with spiritual pressure never managed to use it. "She also has a 'shove' spell that she says she saw a man in black robes use. That was what got her thinking and trying things."

"Ah." So she had observed a shinigami and that had given her some ideas. "I think I would like to meet her." He mused and Jun smiled sadly before trying his food.

"It's nice to speak to someone who doesn't think I'm crazy. I wouldn't even tell my sisters about the spells…" He shook his head and Shunsui could sympathize. "They can't see the ghosts but they believe me about them, but the spells would upset them."

"Hm, I see." Although he really didn't. It was hard to see why his sisters would object to their brother learning to use his reiatsu. Then Jun smiled and changed the subject.

"Did your cousin pass his tests?" He asked and Shunsui smiled as he talked a bit about his family. He was paying more attention to them than he had in centuries, to their faint surprise. But it was something he could share with his friend with only minimal editing. His job as a taichou… that would require quite a lot of lies. Jun seemed to sense his reticence, though, and rarely asked him about his work.

After the meal, they repaired to a bar. It was the one that all the actors at Jin's studio preferred. Although he did wonder why, when Jun explained the nature of the place.

"Do you like whisky?" He said as he shoved open the door. It was badly scarred and looked to even have been torn apart before being bolted back together. Shunsui glanced around the room, reminded of some dives he'd visited in the lower Rukongai. He honestly hadn't believed such places existed in the Living World.

"Ah, well, it's fine. But I prefer sake." He said and Jun flashed him a quick smile. It was full of mischief and he blinked in surprise. That was not often an expression he'd seen on Juushiro's face.

"Well, I'm afraid that whisky is what you'll get. It's all they serve here." He said lightly before leading them to a table. He extracted something from his pocket and ripped it open as Shunsui took a seat, watching in incomprehension as he extracted something wet. "Don't put your arms – ah. Sorry." Shunsui pulled his arm off the sticky table, wincing as a horrible residue was left on the skin of his gigai. "Let me clean this." The little things in Jun's hand turned out to be wet naps and they were quite effective at cleaning off the table.

"Why in hell do your friends hang out here?" He asked in morbid fascination as Jun took a seat. Jun shrugged as a thickset man with a sullen air came to the table.

"What d'you want?" He asked, his voice a gruff growl. Jun smiled at him with an air of disbelief.

"We have a choice?" He asked and the stranger barked a laugh.

"Only in how much I mock you." He answered and Shunsui couldn't help but smile. This did remind him of the Rukongai. Jun sighed, resting his chin in his hand.

"In that case, we'll have whisky." He said, making the best of the situation. The man scowled.

"Well, that ain't no fun…" He went off to fulfill their order and Shunsui chuckled as Jun smiled in amusement.

"Seriously, though, why do you hang out here?" This didn't seem like Jun's thing at all. His smile faltered a bit before he sighed.

"Truthfully? Just to be social. And everyone else comes here because it's close to the studio, very cheap and they like the ambience." He glanced around and Shunsui followed his gaze. To his eyes, the bar didn't have an ambience. There was a battered dartboard in one corner of the room, a few tattered 'wanted' posters featuring photographs that he was willing to bet the bartender had put there, and a knife sticking out of the wall behind the bar. The mirror there was partly cracked. Cleanliness wise, the place would have failed any health inspection instantly. "Kito likes to say that this was what the Wild West was really like. Smelly and dirty."

"Well, it does have that kind of ambience." He agreed as the booze arrived. Trying it, he found the whisky was actually rather good, for whisky. Jun sipped his cautiously before relaxing a touch.

"This is some of the better stuff. I think he likes you." Jun said with a smile and Shunsui chuckled. "Probably because he can tell you're not one of the actors. I think he'd like to chase us out of here but we pay the bills."

"Always important." He agreed, glancing over the people. The little bar was still a bit empty. That quickly changed, though, as Jun's friends and coworkers started filtering in. Shunsui was soon being introduced to them. Jun didn't have to take him to them, though. No, they all stopped by their table to say hello to Jun and Shunsui smiled at what he was seeing. Everyone liked Jun and to him, it was clear the young man was the social 'glue' in his workplace. What would they do without him? Fall apart for a while, he was sure. The Thirteenth had briefly come to pieces in the wake of Juushiro's passing.

Then he met someone rather odd but very interesting.

"Jun! Mind if I join you?" Large boots clomped over the floor as a reasonably young lady grabbed a chair and yanked it over. Shunsui looked her over curiously as Jun nodded with a laugh. She was a very pale woman, with skin so white he could see the blue lines of her veins. Her eyes were an astonishing shade of purple and he wondered if they were actually achieved through contact lenses. She wore an impressive amount of clothing, layers and layers of silken scarves and fluffy blouses. Shunsui was willing to bet she felt cold. He was no medical expert but she did not seem entirely well to him. A great braid of light brown hair slid over one shoulder, through the scarves.

"Of course! Shunsui, this is Rikka. Rikka, this is Kyoraku Shunsui." Jun introduced them with a smile and Shunsui smiled as he took her hand. As he did he felt a small probe, almost like kido but infinitely weaker. She let go of his hand like it was hot, her eyes going wide.

"You're so _dense_." She murmured and he frowned. It shouldn't have been possible for her to pick up his spiritual pressure within the gigai. That was part of their function, making certain that a taichou could not hurt the unsuspecting mortals of the Living World. "I thought Jun was dense but you're out of this world."

"I'm not sure what 'dense' means but if Jun is too, it must be a good thing." He said with a charming smile and she smiled back, a touch uncertainly. "So you're the amazing Rikka! Jun has told me about you."

"He can see ghosts too." Jun said softly and she nodded with a soft, breathy laugh.

"Oh, I knew that. No one could feel like he does and not see them." She flexed her hand as if she still felt something from the brief contact. "I should tell your fortune sometime. I bet it would be interesting." She said and he smiled at her.

"I would like that." He said easily. A fortune telling… he hadn't had one in centuries. In fact, the last time had been when he was still at the Academy. It had just been a silly thing at a fair in the Rukongai, Juushiro had pushed him to do it… shaking away the ancient memory he finished his whisky. A surly waitress had joined the bartender and came over to ask if he another. He consented, almost enjoying the place now. It brought back memories.

"Have your lab tests come back?" Jun asked, distracting him from the odd feeling that he'd stepped into the past. Rikka nodded.

"Yes, but they only know that I'm anemic. Doctors. I swear, I should just use my tarot cards to figure it out, they know more." She said with an eyeroll and Shunsui smiled at her resigned and amused tone. The healers at the Fourth seldom had trouble figuring out what was wrong… but then, they had kido tests. And in the rare event that those failed, they had Mayuri and all his scientific instruments. Not that it helped them cure things, sometimes… He drank his whisky quickly, using it to chase away the thought. Rikka got a shot of whisky and matched him easily. "Oh, I went to see that new movie. Sexual Theories." Jun looked hopeful but then disappointed as she continued. "Don't go, it's a piece of dogshit. I left halfway through."

"Oh. That's too bad, I thought it sounded good. Well, better not to waste my time. Oh, Shunsui, did you bring that thing you wanted to show me?" Jun asked, which reminded him. He reached into his pocket and extracted the thick parchment.

"Here it is. You can tell me what you really think, I won't be offended." He said easily although he was sure Jun wouldn't. He was too like Juushiro. His old love had always encouraged his literary efforts and pretended to enjoy reading them. Sure enough, Jun read through it with a small smile on his face.

"Shunsui, it's wonderful." He said and the third person at the table was quite curious. She reached out a hand and Shunsui vaguely noticed that she had painted her nails rather intricately, cementing them with patterns of flowers with tiny jewels for centres.

"May I see?" She asked and Jun glanced at him questioningly. He nodded with a shrug and she took the paper, reading it slowly. Then, to his surprise, she started to giggle. The giggles quickly escalated to full out laughter and Shunsui couldn't help but feel a bit… offended? Chagrined? He knew his writing wasn't good but it usually wasn't laughed at.

"Rikka, please!" Jun sounded embarrassed, glancing at him worriedly. He tried to smile reassuringly but it got a bit harder as she banged on the table, fighting to stifle her laughter.

"That's… hilarious…" She wheezed and Shunsui shifted slightly as he realized they were starting to attract attention. One older fellow in glasses got interested.

"Oh, you're a writer? Can I see?" Shunsui frowned, opening his mouth to say no. He'd meant to just share this with Jun. But the stranger stole it off the table without a care as Jun winced.

"Ryo, that's private!" He tried to take it back, but carefully. That let the other man evade him with a snort.

"Oh please! Isn't honest criticism the only way you can get better?" Shunsui knew that was true but also knew that if it was going to happen, it would have happened centuries ago. He'd been given some brutally honest critiques over the years, mostly when readers got to write in and their responses were printed in the Seireitei Communications. Sighing, he steadied himself to take the punches, still he wasn't expecting what happened next.

"This really is quite amusing. A romantic comedy? But you need to play it a bit more for laughs. And I'm not sure about this setting, where is this?" The man, Ryo, said and Shunsui had to grit his teeth. It was NOT a romantic comedy! He'd thought he'd had no ego to bruise where his writing was concerned but it seemed that just wasn't true. Having someone get the genre wrong was painful, to say the least.

"Feudal Japan." He managed to say civilly. The man blinked at him from behind his glasses.

"Oh. Well, it needs more description." He said, which was likely true in a sense. But everyone in the Seireitei knew what the place looked like, description beyond a certain point was unnecessary. "It's good though. You definitely have talent." That made him blink and his anger dissipate a touch. He'd never been told he had talent before… well, except by his two fans. They might have been few but they were faithful.

"Thank you." He said and, to his relief, Jun managed to get the manuscript back. He quickly put it away, anger fading into bemusement. No one had ever thought his work was funny before… but then, everyone knew it was supposed to be serious. And romantic comedies… he knew about them from the Living World but that entire genre hadn't really caught on in Soul Society.

He and Jun were both pleasantly buzzed when they hailed a taxi. Shunsui had already reserved a room at a rather nice hotel. As he sat in the taxi with Jun, though, he could feel the other man's nervousness. Meeting brown eyes he saw anticipation and a trace of fear. He didn't say anything, though. The taxi driver quickly took up the slack and Shunsui smiled as they got to hear his opinions on politics. Jun responded politely, which was more than enough to keep him going.

When they got to the hotel room, though, the nervousness came back in full force. Shunsui had a very good idea as to why.

"Jun, are you a virgin?" He asked seriously. The young man was, well, young. He'd never asked his exact age… he honestly didn't want to know, it might destroy the impression that this was Juushiro's reincarnation… but if he was right, he wasn't older than twenty. Jun gave him a small, pensive smile.

"Oh no. But this will be my first experience with a man." He admitted and Shunsui smiled at the thought. "Honestly, until I met you I never thought about another man that way." He said shyly and Shunsui's smile widened as he took the other man into his arms.

"Let me show you." He murmured before kissing his friend and soon to be lover. Jun melted into it, responding eagerly as Shunsui began to disrobe him. It was his first time seeing the other naked and he was pleased with what was revealed. He wasn't as sculpted as Juushiro had been, even with his long illness, but that was to be expected. High reiatsu gave them a definite advantage.

"Oh." Jun's eyes were wide, though, and Shunsui felt a moment of pure pleasure as the other man looked him over. "You're… amazing." He sounded a touch dazed and Shunsui laughed, gently tugging him down onto the bed.

"You only notice now?" He teased, although he knew what Jun meant. His gigai was a faithful reproduction of his soul body. For a human, achieving such a physique was a difficult task. Jun's hands wandered over him and he returned the favor, loving every moment of it.

He hadn't been celibate over the last twenty years, but he hadn't taken any man to his bed since Juushiro. It would have reminded him too much. And this did remind him but it also seemed right. He worshipped Jun's body, touching and exploring every inch of him, finding what he liked best.

Of course, one thing that Jun very much liked was universal to every man. Shunsui smiled to himself as he regarded the erection pointing up at him. It was a decent size, not huge but certainly not small. A good size for this… the sound the other man made as he took that piece of flesh into his mouth was priceless. It sent a shiver down his spine as he gently gripped the base, slowly sucking and driving his partner absolutely wild.

"Shunsui… uh… I'm going to…" Jun panted out and he pulled away, just watching as the young man panted and slowly got a grip on himself. As he did, Shunsui made use of the bottle of lube, coating his fingers. Then he slipped them behind his partner, finding that familiar and very private place. Jun flinched slightly, his eyes tightly shut. Shunsui hastened to soothe him.

"Relax Jun. It will be fine…" He assured the young man who breathed slowly for a moment before opening his eyes just a touch. The lust swirling in those deep brown orbs… Shunsui swallowed hard, feeling his own overwhelming desire. But he throttled it back. He needed to make this good, needed to prepare the young man well. He slowly, carefully slid a finger inside, feeling how incredibly tight Jun was in there. The young man made no sound and as he looked up he saw a far away, considering expression on his face. That almost made him stop in shock because it was the exact same expression the first time he and Juushiro had…

_"Juu? Are you okay?"_

_"Yes. Just… thinking about it. It doesn't feel bad. Just a bit odd."_

Somehow he knew, if he asked that question he would get the exact same answer. The thought left him a little breathless so he left the words unspoken. Slowly, carefully, he added a second finger to the first. Jun bit his lip slightly but stayed warm and pliant, his insides gripping like warm velvet. Shunsui carefully worked his fingers into that tight passage, brushing over a certain spot and making Jun's eyes flare wide. The young man stifled a gasp, biting his lower lip as his body jerked. Then he moaned, a soft, beautiful sound that went straight to Shunsui's already straining cock. Still, he needed a bit more… Carefully inserting a third finger he saw Jun wince before struggling to relax. He slowly worked in that extra finger, brushing over his partner's prostate again and making him gasp. That clearly helped with the discomfort.

"Uh… Shunsui… condom…?" Jun asked and Shunsui froze, startled. He had… completely forgotten about that. Sexually transmitted diseases were not much of an issue within the Seireitei and his gigai was incapable of such things. As for pregnancy, he'd never cared a bit about that. The odds that any of the young women he usually bedded would get pregnant were astronomically low and if they did, well, they would be overjoyed to be carrying the child of a taichou.

"I, uh, don't have one." Now he felt like an idiot and wondered if this whole thing was going to come to a painful, tragic and rather pathetic end. Jun smiled, his eyes glittering with good humor.

"I thought you were the experienced one…? There's one in the back pocket of my jeans." He said and Shunsui left the bed with alacrity to find that. He quickly found the foil packet and got back on the bed, tearing it open and unfurling the plastic over his aching erection. Fortunately, he did know how to use them… He coated the plastic with more lube before moving back onto Jun's body, positioning himself before looking into the young man's face. Jun was looking at him in a combination of anticipation and fear.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked seriously and was given a warm, loving smile.

"I think I am. Please, do it." Jun said and Shunsui nodded, slowly, carefully sliding into his lover's body. Jun stiffened with a soft cry and Shunsui groaned as he was gripped by that incredibly tight, wonderfully gripping heat. It felt… amazing. He had to hold back the desire to thrust into that heat, holding himself still as he watched the pain gradually go out of Jun's face. He gently kissed the younger man, murmuring in his ear as the pain slowly ebbed into discomfort. When even the discomfort was fading, he started to move.

"Ooooh… Shunsui…" Jun moaned, locking his legs around Shunsui's waist as he felt those slow, steady thrusts pushing on his inner walls. Shunsui gasped, fighting to keep his movements slow and gentle. "Oh… you can… give me more…" That was all the encouragement he needed and Shunsui kissed Jun, deeply, as he began to truly set his passion free. Even now he wouldn't take his partner too roughly but he began speeding his thrusts, letting the young man feel how much he wanted him.

The whole experience felt like an amazing dream. The hot slip and slide of their bodies, the beautiful way Jun's body flexed and twisted beneath him, those tight walls grasping his cock and the wonderful expressions and sounds his lover was making. All of it amounted to a wonderful experience and in Shunsu's mind, it started to merge together with his memories of Juushiro. He whispered endearments in Jun's ear and didn't even notice that he was saying the wrong name. Jun gripped his shoulders, panting and rocking with every thrust into his core.

Soon enough, Jun made a wonderfully familiar sound, something like a sigh crossed with a groan of frustration. Shunsui knew then that he was achingly close to orgasm and just needed a little more to bring him over. He was more than happy to provide that little more, grasping the neglected erection between them and stroking it. A warm twist and pull that had always ensured a beautiful orgasm, from Juushiro. It worked precisely the same way on Jun and the younger man cried out as pearly white cum erupted from him, his whole body trembling with the force of his release. Shunsui gasped as the body beneath him tightened wildly, feeling like it was trying to smother his cock. That delicious feeling easily took him over the edge and Shunsui stiffened as he emptied himself in quick, powerful spurts. For a moment he lingered with no thoughts and no regrets. Then he blinked and slowly pulled away, breathing heavily. Jun lay limp beneath him, his eyes heavy lidded and his expression dazed.

"Sweet kami." Shunsui breathed, astonished by the power of it. That had been… amazing… absolutely beyond compare. He pulled away the condom just as Jun stirred.

"Shunsui?" His lover murmured drowsily as he tossed the soiled thing into the wastebasket. "Who is Juushiro?" Shunsui froze in shock, looking at the young man on the bed. How did he…? "You said his name when you…" Shunsui swallowed, realizing that he had. But Jun didn't seem upset, just mildly curious.

"He was my lover, for a long time." He said quietly. More years than this young man could even dream of. "He died. I apologize. I shouldn't have…" Painful feelings suddenly welled up in him. Guilt for saying another man's name with his partner. Feeling like he'd betrayed Juushiro's memory. The knowledge that what he was doing was wrong… then Jun's hand went around his arm and all that seemed to vanish as he met sympathetic brown eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said and Shunsui blinked before smiling, sadly. Yes, that was how he would react. "I don't mind Shunsui." Jun said softly, holding him close. Shunsui returned the affection, gently taking the smaller man into his arms. "He must have been very close to you."

"Oh yes, he was." Shunsui breathed before gently nuzzling his new partner. "I love you Jun." He said impulsively. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say. It was so early… but not really. He felt like he knew the other man completely. Jun smiled and it was so achingly sweet and familiar.

"I love you too, Shunsui." The voice was different but the words were the same. Shunsui closed his eyes with a smile, allowing himself to drift to sleep.


	3. King of Swords

Shunsui nibbled the end of his pen as he looking over the piece of parchment in front of him by the light of a candle. He didn't mind working by candlelight. Back when he'd been in the Academy, that had been all they had used. Things had changed over the years but working by the light of a candle still made him feel comfortable and at home. Some said it led to eyestrain but after a thousand years, he wasn't much worried about that.

What lay in front of him was his newest literary endeavor. After thinking hard about everything that had been said in the Living World, he'd decided to try to reintroduce romantic comedy into Soul Society. And why not? Perhaps it was an idea that was finally ready to see its day. And while he loved his two fans, he would really like to have a few more readers. Being unpopular didn't bother him – if this was a flop just like the Rose Colored Path, he would continue writing for his own enjoyment – but still, a few letters would be nice. So would being in the Seireitei Communications for something other than his position. Shunsui knew the Rose Colored Path was only published because he was a taichou, much like Tosen's old columns on justice.

So now he was writing something new. It honestly made him wonder why he hadn't done it years ago. The story was flowing freely and made him smile just looking at it. It was going to be the adventures of a young man, looking for love and finding it in all the wrong places. What he had in front of him was a story of how the boy was trying to court a milkmaid and how it was going tragically and hilariously wrong.

Deciding he'd done enough for tonight, he put the paper away and blew out the light. Smiling to himself, he changed into his sleeping clothes and settled in for the night.

He'd work on it some more tomorrow.

* * *

"I have my report on Kyoraku taichou, Soutaichou." Soi Fon said with a small bow. It wasn't too much but she'd discovered a few intriguing things. Yamamoto nodded at her, motioning for her to join him for tea. She took her seat across from him, accepting a cup. This was a rather informal report.

"What have you found?" Yamamoto asked. As he watched Shunsui more, he was growing more and more concerned. His old student was behaving so cheerfully yet, there was no sign of anyone in his life. He flirted with the ladies but never brought a single one home. That worried him and made him wonder what trouble Shunsui was getting into.

"Not a great deal… however, some of it is suggestive. Kyoraku taichou has cancelled his serial in the Seireitei Communications." She said and Yamamoto paused in the act of sipping his tea, slightly stunned. "He's already come out with two new issues of a brand new column, entitled _Where You Find It_. It seems to be a 'romantic comedy', the adventures of a young man named Sunae and his various efforts to procure love." Soi Fon thought that was actually a very good topic for Shunsui. He certainly had been shot down enough, over the years. "It's hard to say for certain but the reception seems to be better than the Rose Colored Path." Although that wouldn't be hard. There was nowhere to go but up.

"That is interesting." Yamamoto mused. For hundreds of years, Shunsui had worked on the Rose Colored Path. Nothing had been able to deter him from it. What had suddenly changed? "Is there anything else?" Soi Fon hesitated. She considered the next part of her information highly suspicious although she had no proof yet.

"Only that Kyoraku taichou is taking the senkaimon to the Living World once a month." That really wasn't too much. However… "And he is making extensive use of the dangai." She had been surprised to find that out. The only reason a shinigami would choose to use the dangai so often was to avoid attention. "In all, he is visiting the Living World perhaps twice a week, depending on his duties." That was a lot. "We are still trying to determine what he is doing there." That was more difficult than it seemed. Kyoraku was trying very hard to hide himself. Yamamoto grunted, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"I see." This news troubled him greatly although the Soutaichou tried not to show it. Most of the time, romantic entanglements with individuals from the Living World were unlikely. After all, what could shinigami have in common with them? And unless they used gigai, they were mostly invisible to them. But Shunsui was looking for his lost love. Had he deluded himself into thinking he'd found Juushiro? Yamamoto winced to himself at the thought. That could explain a great deal. "Please continue, and assign this a higher priority."

"Hai, Soutaichou." Soi Fon nodded. For shinigami, having romantic entanglements in the Living World was a crime. A very minor crime with minor punishments, but still a crime.

If Kyoraku was engaging in such a thing, it could not be allowed to continue.

* * *

The subject of their scrutiny continued onwards, oblivious.

Shunsui knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that what he was doing was both futile and doomed. But he simply didn't want to think about it. He was deluding himself into believing he could keep it hidden. He was being very careful in how he used the senkaimon and how he reached this particular suburb of Tokyo. It didn't occur to him that his simple happiness could betray him.

Right now, he was going to see Rikka and Jun for a tarot reading. He smiled at the thought. He was honestly looking forward to hearing about the shape of his future.

The shop he went to was a small, slightly dusty place specializing in mystical paraphernalia. There were mystic crystals, magnets and books on tarot cards and other things. Also bath salts, incense and some rather nice jewelry. All in all, it seemed like a rather feminine store to him, although he supposed men might be interested in such things too. Shunsui browsed idly for a few moments before going to the cash register where a rather indifferent looking girl was painting her nails.

"I'm looking for Rikka. Is she in?" He asked. He knew from Jun that Rikka didn't own the place, she just rented a room in the back and paid the owner for the privilege. The girl nodded, not looking up from her nails.

"Take the green door. The blue one goes to inventory and it's locked." She said, which was good enough. Shunsui went to the back of the shop and used the green door, stepping into a rather comfortable little room with tables and chairs and a small 'snack shack' meant for the employees. Smiling, he continued, looking for his friend and lover.

He heard Jun before he saw him and stopped to listen, curious.

"…I know it's fanciful but I do wonder." Jun sounded a touch embarrassed. Rikka laughed, a pleasant sound.

"It's fanciful alright! I don't think he's a spy. He doesn't seem like the James Bond type to me. You know, I bet he's a male stripper." She said speculatively and Shunsui blinked as he heard Jun choke. "That is one handsome man you have there, Jun. He could be in Chippendales', no problem." Oh dear, they were talking about him. Shunsui felt his cheeks heat but also felt a bit of male pride that they thought he was male stripper material. Or a spy? Quite a collection of careers they were making up for him. Smiling to himself, he rapped on the door. "Oh, come in!" He opened it, letting himself in, and they both looked up with smiles. Rikka and Jun were both seated at a small table, lit with electric candles to create the proper mood but abide by the fire regulations. Glancing around, he took in the rest of the room. Rikka had outfitted it to seem properly mystical. The walls were draped with warm, silky swatches of fabric, decorated with stars and moons. The chairs were plush and comfortable, meant to be sat in for some time. There was a side table with a water heater and cups as well as a tin of tea and a jar of instant coffee. "Hello! Would you like something to drink?" Rikka asked with a smile and he nodded as he took a seat.

"Do you have any green tea?" That was and had always been his beverage of choice, when he wasn't drinking sake.

"Of course!" Rikka said happily and Jun stood to go make it. "Oh, I could do that."

"No, get the deck ready. You were still clearing the influences, remember?" He said and Shunsui wondered what that meant. Rikka frowned thoughtfully at the cards in her hands.

"Oh, right." She said vaguely before resting the deck against her forehead and humming softly. Again, Shunsui felt something that was almost like kido yet infinitely weaker. What was she doing? Very few card readers in the Rukongai used any genuine power and it sharpened his interest.

"What were you doing there?" He asked as she set the cards down and began to shuffle.

"Oh, clearing the influences. Making sure the last person I used this deck on left no trace. Now, hold this for a moment." She placed the cards in his hands and Shunsui held them, a touch baffled. He felt that tiny touch of kido again, this time gently prying at his own power. He automatically resisted it. "Here now. I need to get a bit of 'you' on my cards. Stop that."

"Oh. I see." Shunsui took a deep breath and tried to relax and let her do her little trick. It was quite harmless but it went against his instincts, letting another person touch his power that way. Fortunately, she wafted only the tiniest brush of his reiatsu over the cards before finishing. Then she took them back and began to shuffle again.

The fortune reading that followed was a great deal of fun. Many parts of it made him smile, like the things pertinent to his love life. Some things, though, would haunt him later.

"Mmm, the King of Swords." Rikka rested a painted nail on the card, gazing at it intently. "I think… yes. A strong man in your life, with great power and force. His mind cannot be changed. You must learn to roll with the punches or he will bowl you over." Shunsui smiled to himself. There weren't too many men like that in his life. Well, except for Yama-jii.

"The Two of Cups." Rikka looked at the card for a long moment. "I sense a partnership but… somehow, it is not directed at you. There will be a balance of powers that supports you in your endeavors. Use them well." She placed another card on the table before smiling, slightly. "The Seven of Swords, reversed. You are being watched and should keep in mind that crime does not pay. Sooner or later, you will be caught."

"Ah… really?" Shunsui said with a smile, suddenly rattled as he remembered that everything he was doing here was against the rules. "I'll have to be cleverer then!" He joked and Rikka laughed before placing another card.

"The Devil. Hmm. It is important for you to remember that no matter how bleak your situation appears, you are not helpless. There are still options. Take action, no matter how slight, to bring yourself back into control." Rikka paused, running a finger over the card. He could sense just the faintest sparkle of reiatsu in her fingertip. "This card relates to bondage. I sense there are great restrictions being placed on you… they are too strong to be broken. You must work within them to gain what you desire."

"I see." That seemed like a metaphor for Soul Society and he honestly didn't like it. The next card, though, cheered everyone up.

"The Lovers. I hardly need to explain." Rikka said with a laugh as Jun blushed and Shunsui smiled. "The two of you are made for each other."

After that, things became lighter and gradually wound up. They left the little shop with a few handmade truffles, courtesy of Rikka. After that they went to the bar. The bartender was as sullen as always, but actually unbent enough to give them something other than whisky. Jun was quite shocked when they were able to order a bottle of sake.

"He _does_ like you." He said after they'd received the bottle. Shunsui tried it, smiling slightly. It certainly wasn't the best sake in the world but it was better than many he'd had. "I wonder why?" Jun sounded wondering and Shunsui quirked an eyebrow at him.

"My good looks and charm?" He said lightly and the other man snorted.

"If good looks and charm got you anywhere here, Dorio wouldn't be drinking the worst whisky ever made." He pointed out and Shunsui had to laugh. Dorio was one of the two-bit starlets Jun worked with and while she was pretty and very charming, she had few brain cells. "No, he likes something else about you."

"Hmm." Shunsui had an idea that the bartender could sense his air of experience. He wasn't a young man and Shunsui wouldn't have been surprised to find out he'd been through a war or two. The man was missing two fingers, he'd spotted that before. "Well, whatever it is I appreciate it." Whisky wasn't bad but sake was better. Jun smiled as he sipped his drink.

They weren't even remotely drunk when they left the bar, intending to visit another hotel room. So instead of calling a taxi immediately, they took a walk. The area around Jun's place of work was industrial but not unsafe and the lighting was good.

It all happened so fast. They turned a corner and there was a man there, holding something. Shunsui barely had a chance to register it as a gun before there was a flash and the strangest feeling of pressure. The sound of the gunshot reached him a second later as he stumbled back, shocked. Another flash and this time he saw the blood splattering from his gigai. Again, he heard the gunshot afterwards, a strange Doppler effect. And he heard Jun scream his name as he collapsed, gasping for air. The pain was registering now and he felt like he was choking. Blood rose in his throat as he fell, trying to catch himself. Jun's arms were around him but not for long. Someone was grabbing him, pointing the gun at him as he tried to struggle…

_The gigai. I have to get out of the gigai._ That was easier said than done. Getting out of a gigai was never the easiest task in the world, which was part of why Soul Candies existed. They provided a much needed push to get the user free. More importantly, perhaps, gigai's were meant to mimic physical bodies in every way. They suffered pain and so did the user, when they were damaged. If they were too badly hurt the pain formed an anchor, preventing the soul inside from escaping.

That was the trap Shunsui found himself in. His gigai was dying rapidly and the pain of it was inescapable. Blood was filling his lungs and he could hear screams. He tried to reach for the Soul Candy in his pocket but his hands were going numb, refusing to move. Then he saw the bartender's face, felt the man ripping open his shirt and swearing. He didn't know much about gunshot wounds but Shunsui knew the feeling of death closing in. Yet that was nothing compared to his anguish and urgent need to leave his gigai.

_Jun! Where is he?_ He didn't think his lover had been shot. No, the man had been taking him somewhere… _Jun!_ Shunsui choked, gasping helplessly as his gigai arched. He had to get _out_ of this thing but he just couldn't… _Jun!_

It took an unconscionably long time for the gigai to stop breathing. Finally, though, it did and Shunsui was able to escape. He stumbled to his feet before running out onto the street. Where had they gone? He could only catch the faintest hint of Jun's aura. Steadying himself, he tried to reach for calm. He would use a meditation technique to call up all the spiritual ribbons of nearby humans. When he did he would find Jun and –

"Kyoraku taichou." That voice almost made him jump out of his skin. Shunsui turned, eyes wide, to look at the severe taichou of the Second Division. For a moment, Rikka's voice seemed to echo through his thoughts. _You are being watched and should keep in mind that crime does not pay. Sooner or later, you will be caught._

"Ah, Soi Fon taichou!" He said, running mostly on autopilot. "Perhaps you can help me. Did you see a young man with dark skin and black hair? And a man with a gun? I'm afraid I have rather a bone to pick with him. That gigai wasn't cheap." Perhaps that would – Soi Fon heaved a small sigh.

"No, I did not. Kyoraku taichou, you must return with me to Soul Society. Do not force me to arrest you." Shunsui hesitated, remembering the rest of the reading. Yes, he could easily escape Soi Fon. But consorting with a human was a minor offense. Resisting arrest by the Second Division was not so minor. Yet, how could he leave Jun in such danger? He couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Soi Fon taichou, but I must – " He turned away and suddenly stumbled. "…Yama-jii…" He'd completely missed the old man coming up behind him. Where had his senses gone? But he was very upset. "I… uh…" His idea of simply ignoring his 'arrest' blew out like smoke. He couldn't get past Yamamoto.

"What are you doing here, Shunsui?" Yamamoto said and there was compassion in his voice. Shunsui hesitated before throwing himself on the mercy of the court.

"I – I found him Yama-jii. Juushiro. I found his reincarnation and someone just kidnapped him! Please Yama-jii, send someone to find him. For me?" He appealed but the old man just shook his head. "Yama-jii!"

"Shunsui, that is not possible. He cannot be Juushiro" Yamamoto said firmly and Shunsui swallowed, knowing the other man was probably right. Yet he couldn't shake his conviction that Jun was Juushiro. And even if he wasn't, he was a remarkable young man who deserved better than… what? What had those men taken him for? "You have already done too much here. You are returning to Soul Society."

"But… I have to… I need to…" He had to know what had happened to Jun. Had to rescue him from whatever was going to – but that staff went down, striking the ground firmly and silencing him.

"No. You have done too much here already. It is my fault for not watching you more closely in your time of grief, but this cannot be allowed to continue." Yamamoto said sternly and Shunsui swallowed a bitter, angry reply. That wouldn't help and would only make Yamamoto more inclined to oppose him.

"The King of Swords." He muttered bitterly. Of course it would be Yamamoto. "I… have no choice. I will come." Even if he could defeat Yamamoto, the damage of such a battle in the Living World… he just couldn't. Jun wouldn't have wanted him to. Fighting back his anguish, he let himself be herded back to the senkaimon. But somehow, he would take action. He had to. Jun might already be dead or he might be in danger.

Shunsui didn't know which, but he had to do something.


	4. Two of Cups

Shunsui stared into his cup of sake, feeling worse than he ever had in his life. Idly reaching up, he twirled the red and black collar around his throat.

He was under house arrest. Confined to his Division, he could not venture past the kido wards that had been quickly placed and linked to the collar around his neck. His reiatsu was also suppressed, but not hideously so. All of this was only partly to keep him in place before his disciplinary hearing. Mostly, it was to keep him from going through the dangai. The senkaimon had already been sealed but Yamamoto knew his old student too well. He knew that if he could, Shunsui would be down the dangai in a heartbeat.

In a vague sort of way, Shunsui knew that Yamamoto was trying to protect him. He didn't want his beloved student to compound his crimes. But he couldn't appreciate that. All he could think of was the young man in mortal danger, possibly already dead. Although that thought gave a treacherous, unworthy part of him hope. If Jun was dead he could come to Soul Society and they could be together, legitimately. Shunsui shook his head, chasing that thought away like an irritating fly. He didn't want that. Jun had a family, friends, people who cared deeply about him. He shouldn't have to give that up so soon.

But right now he just didn't know and no one was willing to help him. Everyone was very sympathetic but absolutely no one believed him. They thought he was deluding himself about Jun, that he was just desperate to find someone to fill the hole in his heart. It made Shunsui want to scream. Even if Jun wasn't Juushiro he was still remarkable. Why wouldn't anyone help him to find out what had happened? Even Nanao had regretfully refused, reminding him that the head captain would not look lightly on any disobedience.

"Sir?" Surprised, he looked up from his cup of sake to see two rather familiar faces in his doorway. Sentaro and Kiyone. They were both peering in, Sentaro's head above Kiyone's. "Can we come in sir?" Kiyone asked and Shunsui smiled, briefly.

"Of course." Just looking at the pair reminded him of Ukitake. Renji was the taichou of the Thirteenth, now, and while the pair obeyed him they were certainly not as devoted to him as they had been to Juushiro.

"Sir, did you really find him?" Sentaro said, actually trying to keep his voice down. Shunsui blinked at him, suddenly feeling a bit of hope.

"Is it really him?" Kiyone said, almost in tears. "Please tell me it's him sir!" Shunsui took a deep breath before responding. He wasn't going to lie to them but…

"I think it is. Of course, I have no way to prove it and no one believes me. They all think I've lost my mind with grief." That rankled him a bit. It had been twenty years. If he was going to lose his grip wouldn't it have been sooner? But then, they all knew that a reincarnated Juushiro would have needed time to grow up. That was the right time to look for him.

"We believe in you sir!" Sentaro said fervently before dropping his voice as Kiyone hushed him. "Where is he? Do you want us to find him for you? We'll do anything sir!" Shunsui knew he might be getting them all in trouble but he couldn't help but seize the opportunity with both hands.

"His name is Shimizi Jun. I met him in Tokyo…" He quickly gave them directions to that area of Tokyo, and also to Jun's home and Rikka's shop. "If he is a plus soul now, he'll likely go to one of those spots." Shunsui felt a deep pain at the thought. Unfortunately, he thought it was likely. "If he's not… it will be harder." If Jun was still alive he could be anywhere. "Rikka will be able to see you. You can question her." She would be able to tell them what the police were up to. Shunsui took the time to describe the young woman to them and they both nodded.

"We'll find him for you sir. We promise!" Kiyone said fervently. Sentaro nodded, just as fervently. Shunsui smiled to himself as they left. He wasn't sure they would succeed… if Jun was alive it would be very difficult… but now he had some hope. Taking a deep drink of his sake he looked out the window.

One way or the other, he needed to find out what had happened to Jun.

* * *

Rikka was having an absolutely awful day.

She reached up to wipe a bit of saltwater away from her eyes. She was not crying. She was just leaking a bit. Yes, that was it. Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, she kept searching around the bar. There was one area she had to avoid, the place that was still cordoned off with police tape, but she was determined.

She was looking for Shunsui. He'd died before the ambulance arrived and Rikka was absolutely certain his ghost would be here. Often the dead went on without any help – they would have been hip deep in them if they didn't – but not in a situation like this. Not when mortal cares would tie them so firmly to the earth. Rikka didn't really know much about how the afterlife worked, but she knew that much. Shunsui would still be here.

But she couldn't find him. Rikka paused in her search as it began to rain. Big, fat droplets fell, gently wetting her hair and clothing. Looking up, she could tell the rain was going get worse. Heaving a small, defeated sigh, she decided to go home. Catching her death out here would benefit absolutely no one.

She lived in a small apartment with two other girls. Taking care not to disturb them, Rikka made herself a cup of tea. Then, feeling lost and more alone than she ever had in her life, she went to bed. She wished she could wake up one of the other girls but it was very late and they had work tomorrow. And neither of them were at all close to Jun, let alone Shunsui. She could cry on someone's shoulder tomorrow.

"Rikka?" Halfway through the night she was roused from her sleep by a gentle voice. "Oh, she's sleeping… I suppose I'll…"

"JUN!" She practically lunged out of her bed, then almost tripped and fell. Hands tried to steady her and she didn't really notice as they passed through. "Oh my god where have you been? Everyone's frantic! Are you… alright…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes went down, registering the chain on his chest. Then she looked up as he gave her a small, weak smile. "Jun…" It wasn't unexpected but the pain of knowing her friend was dead was still immense. "What happened?" She asked and that made his smile, small as it was, vanish. Jun swallowed as he took a seat on her bed. Rikka sat down beside him as he reached up to rub his forehead.

"It's… is Shunsui alright? Please tell me he's fine." He appealed to her and she could only look down before shaking her head. "Is he in the hospital? Is he…" Jun stopped, unable to say it. Rikka looked up, meeting warm brown eyes.

"Jun, he's dead." She said compassionately as he went stiff for a moment, closing his eyes in pain. "He died before the ambulance arrived. I'm sorry." Everyone was reeling over that. The bartender was particularly upset. He'd liked Shunsui and the man had died beneath his hands. "What happened?" She asked again and he took a deep breath before opening his eyes. The pain in his face was beyond description.

"There were two of them. Rikka, they took me down to the river. They had me kneel before one of them…" Jun stopped, swallowing hard and she closed her eyes for a moment. "It… didn't hurt, not really." He said faintly and she nodded. That was a mercy, at least. "But after they were… I listened to them talking. Rikka, my father paid them to do it."

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed before remembering her roommates. She lowered her voice as Jun looked at her, quiet and despairing. "You must be joking. Why in hell would he do that?" Not that she liked Jun's father. She'd met him and his aura was closed off in a way that seemed incredibly selfish to her senses. He was the kind of person who gave away nothing of himself. Still, it was a huge jump from selfishness to murdering his own son.

"For the insurance money." Jun sounded sick and Rikka stared, horrified. "He – He got a policy on me after mother died. I was still a minor but I remember signing… oh kami, I think it was mom's death that made him think of it. There was some money then too."

"Wait, you don't think he…?" Rikka asked and Jun shook his head, his eyes shadowed.

"No, I think that was really just a street crime. I think it gave him the idea." Jun ran a hand over his face, his hair falling forward over his eyes. "Have you seen Shunsui's ghost? I need to find him."

"No, I was looking for him." Rikka said, her mouth on autopilot as her brain worked feverishly. "I'm going to talk to Rayne." That was the bartender. "He might know where to get a street gun." Unmarked, untraceable. "I'm going to kill the son of a bitch." She hissed, her hands clenching in the blankets. Jun looked up, his eyes wide and surprised at her statement.

"Rikka, no! I can't ask you for that. What if you get caught? I don't need revenge." Jun said and Rikka couldn't help but smile, even through her rage. That was Jun. "And it won't bring Shunsui back." He said, pained, and Rikka took a deep breath.

"I'm not thinking about him Jun. I'm not even thinking about you. What about your sisters?" She asked and her friend looked confused. "What happens in a few years when he needs more money?" Rikka asked as his eyes widened. "Don't tell me he likes your sisters more than you. I'll call you a liar. And if the police don't catch up to him he'll already have gotten away with it once. What then?" Jun put a hand over his mouth, looking sick. "Where will they go if your dad dies?"

"I…" Jun swallowed hard before speaking. "Our grandmother. She would take them in." He was certain of that. Rikka nodded before questioning further.

"Is she a normal person?" She asked and he nodded, still looking sick and stunned. He couldn't disagree with her concerns. His father had already gone as far as murdering his own son. Why not his daughters? Although…

"I really think he never liked me much. I'm not sure why." Jun said in a low tone and Rikka sighed to herself. She could guess why. Jun's sweet, unselfish nature would have been a reminder to his father of how shallow and self-centred he really was. "Rikka, are you sure? If you get caught…"

"What kind of motive would there be for me to kill him?" She countered and Jun bit his lip before nodding. "I'll try to make it look like a robbery. Leave it all to me." She'd never killed before and wasn't looking forward to it but Rikka felt this was _right._ The police wouldn't listen to the maunderings of a psychic. Their best bet would be if one of the hit men squealed, but how likely was that? Rikka honestly didn't know. It depended on the caliber of men Jun's father had hired, and how could she know about that? "I'll get started tomorrow." It was much too late tonight. Jun nodded, looking mentally exhausted. "You just… I don't know. Rest?"

"I don't think ghosts need to sleep. I'll just go see my sisters." Jun said with a small sigh and Rikka nodded sympathetically. It would be hard since they couldn't see him, but what else did he have to do? She knew there was some place he was supposed to go – heaven? – but she had no idea how to send him on.

They would just have to get by.

* * *

It took a week for Sentaro and Kiyone to track Jun down.

In that time, the body was found. The murderer's hadn't hidden it and the police were investigating but unable to come up with any kind of evidence. Without Jun, the studio was quietly falling apart, just as Shunsui had predicted. Verbal battles broke out with dreary regularity and there was no one to make peace between the combatants.

Rikka had her talk with the bartender. While he didn't believe in ghosts, he also didn't believe she was insane or making things up. He procured the gun for her, a nice, unmarked one. Rikka was going to take her time in following through with her plan, though. Jun's sisters would be safe for quite some time. She could wait and let the murderer think he'd gotten away with it.

Jun just hung around, the way ghosts often do. He watched over his sisters and walked through the park, maundering aimlessly in his quest to simply forget. Often he looked for Shunsui. Rikka had told him she was sure he had to be a ghost, but neither of them had found any sign. Jun vaguely hoped that his love had gone on to heaven, but he also wistfully wished they could be together. All of this would have been so much easier to bear, with Shunsui by his side.

It was on one of those walks that something incredibly strange happened.

"Hey, you!" Jun paid no attention as he walked. No one could see him except Rikka and a few other sensitive souls. That person couldn't be calling to him.

"Jun?" That was a female voice but not Rikka. He stopped, surprised, before looking back. The speaker was a very small girl with dark blonde hair. Beside her was a man with dark hair, a goatee and a white headband. They were both wearing black robes which looked rather odd to the young plus soul.

"Yes?" He said, confused, and the girl's eyes lit up. She was onto him so fast he pulled back, startled.

"We've been looking for you! I'm Kotetsu Kiyone and this is Kotsubaki Sentaro!" She said and he blinked at her before the man spoke. His voice was very loud although Jun could easily tell he meant nothing by it. In his work at the studio he'd met men who spoke loudly as a habit. It was useful to cut through the constant noise.

"Shunsui sent us!" That made Jun's eyes widen and it was his turn to lunge forward. They both stepped back, surprised.

"Shunsui! Is he alright? I've been looking everywhere for him! What happened?" He asked urgently, vaguely wondering why they were dressed so strangely. And did they have swords? But that didn't seem important compared to his need for information.

"Of course he's fine! He's a taichou!" The one with the loud voice said. That went completely over Jun's head and the other one saw it.

"IDIOT! He doesn't know what you're talking about!" She said as Jun spoke hesitantly.

"I know what taichou means but I don't understand…" His voice was easily drowned out as the two of them argued back and forth. Juushiro would have known how to handle it, but Jun was not Juushiro. He was only a young man and was quickly becoming intimidated by the loud squabble in front of him. He took a step backwards and they suddenly noticed him again.

"Are you really Juushiro?" The girl demanded and Jun stopped, confused.

"Juushiro?" Then he remembered. That was Shunsui's lover, the one he'd lost tragically some time ago. "I, no, I'm Jun?" He was so confused now. The other saw that and tried to explain.

"He died twenty years ago! Shunsui thinks you might be his reincarnation!" Jun stared, trying to absorb that. And twenty years? How…?

"Wait, how can that be? How old is Shunsui?" He asked, feeling a bit cushioned by the shock. What WAS Shunsui, exactly? Was this the 'job' he'd been hiding? But how… Jun just didn't understand and it was beginning to panic him. He didn't panic easily, but they were inundating him information. Of course, they proceeded to make it worse.

"I don't know, a thousand?" The girl, Kiyone, said and Jun swallowed hard. A thousand years? He'd known Shunsui was older but - ! "Oh, can you remember us sir? We both loved you so much – ow!" The man, Sentaro, had just swatted her.

"Of course he can't remember, stupid! That's the whole point of reincarnation, you lose all your memories!" He said as Jun stared at them before quietly looking for an escape. Rikka. He needed to talk to Rikka about this. She would know what to do.

"Don't call me stupid! You're the stupid one – " This time they didn't notice as Jun quietly snuck off, then took off at a run.

Rikka would definitely know what to do.

* * *

Rikka stomped through the park, highly annoyed.

Her sleep was bad at the best of times. Tonight she'd actually been deeply asleep when Jun had woken her with his broken tale of two strangers sent by Shunsui, claiming he was a thousand years old and a captain of some sort. His description of the two made her think they were ghosts, which was confusing. She just didn't have enough information so now she was going to get it from the source.

Fortunately, when she got there the two were still there and searching even as they argued.

"It's all your fault! Your ugly face scared him off!" The little girl of the two was yelling at her male companion!

"No, it's your fault! You were the one who – URK!" The last thing Sentaro was expecting was a big, heavy boot to his back. He landed heavily as Rikka stomped on his kidney's. Kiyone stared in shock. "OW STOP!"

"SHUT UP!" She barked at them both, letting up with her foot a bit. "Who are you two? I thought your kind had something to do with sending spirits to the afterlife, not terrorizing them!" Jun had been more than a bit traumatized by the whole encounter. "What the hell's going on here?!" She demanded and the girl spoke, but only to attack her prone friend.

"You scared him! That's why he ran away! That poor sweet – " That was as far as she got before Rikka lost her patience.

"SHUT UP!" There was blessed silence. "Thank you… now, explain this to me from the top. Who are you?" There was a whimper under her foot and she removed her boot, letting Sentaro climb to his feet. They both looked at her in puzzlement.

"Wait, you're human?" He said and Rikka sighed, rubbing her forehead. This was going to take a while and she was just so tired… "How did you do that?"

"I'm a psychic and I have some powers. Now, forget that! Who ARE you? What are you doing here? Tell me from the beginning!" She demanded and that finally got them moving.

The story came out although she had to sharply interrupt them many times to keep it on track. Eventually, though, she got the entire story out of them.

"So, to sum this up, Shunsui is a taichou in 'Soul Society' which is a kind of heaven." She said and they both nodded. "He lost the man he'd loved for hundreds of years and thinks that Jun is his reincarnation. But having a love affair between worlds is illegal. Why is that?"

"Err, well, it's not illegal exactly. It's just a rule, like dating your own subordinates." Kiyone said and Rikka looked at her, silently demanding more. "It's for a lot of reasons… it's not fair on the person in the Living World, for one. We have to lie a lot and it's just not right. And, well, shinigami have vanished in the Living World before to go live with someone. That's REALLY not right and a major offense."

"Having a romantic connection isn't a really bad thing though." Sentaro said quickly as Rikka frowned. "The worst punishment is two years in the Maggot's Nest. That place sucks but two years is nothing!"

"I KNOW he's already been in there longer…" Kiyone said and Rikka made a mental note to ask Shunsui about that, if she ever got a chance. "And that's the maximum. Most likely they'll just give him a slap on the wrist and completely bar him from going to the Living World for a while."

"Ah." That would be a true punishment to someone in love, but she did see their point. It was rather cruel to lead someone on, and in a way, a romantic connection between people living in two separate worlds was leading someone on. "Well, I hate to look at the positives in this awful situation, but Jun is dead now. Can you take him to Soul Society then?" He would love to be reunited with Shunsui. By now, Jun had resigned himself to no longer being a part of his sister's lives. Neither of them could see him and there was little he could do to protect them. Then something suddenly occurred to her and she blinked. "…Two of cups."

"What?" Sentaro said, confused, and Rikka shook her head.

"Nevermind." There was no point in explaining her sudden conviction that she was looking at something from her card reading. A partnership that would support his endeavors… what else could it be? "He's at my place. Come on, I'll take you there. And try to be quiet, one of my roommates can't see ghosts but she can hear them." That was weird and rather uncomfortable for her but she was at least relieved that Rikka could hear them too. At least she knew she wasn't going insane. "So if you yell I'll knock your head off." She said firmly, giving Sentaro a glare. He looked moderately cowed.

They headed back to her rooms at a brisk pace. The pace faltered, though, as Rikka felt a suspicious tightness in her chest. Pausing, she coughed, resting a hand on her chest as she tried to regain her breath. Recognizing the signs she grimaced and pulled out her inhaler, taking a quick drag.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Kiyone asked and she shook her head.

"Are you sick? I'm sorry." Sentaro sounded subdued although Rikka didn't know why. She waved the concern away.

"I am sick, but this is just asthma. It's the least of my worries." Her unknown cause anemia was far more pressing. They didn't need to know about that, though. What could they do besides sympathize? And she hated that. Her chest was easing so she took off walking again, a bit slower this time.

Soon, though, she brought them into her apartment. Jun was sitting on her bed, looking at the floor with a pensive expression that brightened as she walked in.

"Rikka?" He said before noticing the two behind her. "Oh…" He ran a hand through his hair, a touch embarrassed at running away from them. "What's going on?" He asked and Sentaro opened his mouth. With a fine sense of timing, Rikka elbowed him in the belly, making him grunt in surprise.

"Hush! I'll handle this. Jun., it's like this… " She explained the whole thing to him as he looked at her in mute shock. "I know. Crazy, isn't it? And I really thought he was a stripper." She'd been so wrong it wasn't even funny. There was a choking sound behind her and she turned to look at her erstwhile companions.

"Y-You thought Kyoraku taichou was a stripper?!" Kiyone choked out as Sentaro put a hand over his mouth, struggling to hold back laughter. Rikka scowled at them both as Jun managed a smile.

"I thought he might be a spy or an undercover police officer. I think I was closer." Jun said lightly and Rikka nodded. "Now we know why Rayne liked him. You were right, he could sense his experience." They didn't really know the bartender's history but they both assumed it had been rough. The neighborhood had once been much, much worse and the bar had been around for a while. "Um, so… how does this work? Do you take me somewhere or…?" He honestly had no idea and Rikka didn't know either. She'd only observed a shinigami fighting a hollow, not sending a spirit on. They both looked at the two of them expectantly and they were not loathe to explain.

"Oh no! The way it works is, we give you konso." Kiyone started before Sentaro interrupted.

"It's a burial ritual. It sends your soul to Soul Society." He said before Kiyone spoke over him.

"The location is random but don't worry! Just go to the gates of the Seireitei and say that Kiyone and Sentaro sent you. We'll get you in and you can be enrolled in the academy! We know you'll be great!" She said cheerfully and Jun smiled back, a bit hesitantly. He wasn't as sure about that but he knew he would try.

"And Shunsui will be there?" He asked and they both nodded before qualifying it.

"Well, he's under house arrest right now, sort of. But we'll take you to see him! It won't be a problem!" Kiyone said a touch too loudly, before Rikka hushed her. Then Sentaro pulled out his sword and Jun watched, wide-eyed, as he reversed it before gently tapping the plus soul on the forehead.

"Konso." They all watched as blue light momentarily surrounded the soul. Then he became a ball of blue light, slowly floating through the air before vanishing. Rikka sniffed for a moment, rubbing her eyes. But it was better for everyone that Jun was going on.

If he couldn't be with his family he could at least be with Shunsui again.


	5. Fin

Blood was splattered across the alleyway. It slowly flowed down the brickwork of a nearby wall, congealing beneath the crumpled body under it. And not too far away, someone violently retched.

Rikka gasped, a hand to her belly as she finished getting rid of her stomach contents. Killing someone had been difficult and the nausea afterwards had been crippling. But she had been determined and now, she had done it. Pulling herself up, she looked at the body for a moment.

"I probably didn't need to shoot him that many times." She muttered to herself. That had been a rookie mistake, but at least Jun's father was most certainly dead. "…Hm." The wallet. She needed that. Quickly sorting through the body, her gloves quickly became dirty. She pocketed the wallet and left the gun behind. It was untraceable anyway and what did she need it for now? Then she left, walking briskly but not running. It was better not to run and she was sure someone would be calling the police. A single shot might be a car backfire but eight? No.

As she walked away, she felt strangely floating and free. She'd done it. She'd really done it and now Jun's sisters would no longer be in danger. And since Jun was gone off to Soul Society, he wouldn't have to see his father's ghost, if he showed up as one. Hopefully he wouldn't. She didn't want to see him, either. And not all souls required konso to leave.

Rikka completely missed the Gates of Hell opening to take up the damned soul presented to them. It was just as well. She might have been concerned about the state of her own soul, if she had seen that. She had just committed a murder, after all. But motivations mattered and hers was not revenge, but protection.

She didn't know it but she would be just fine.

* * *

"Can't say I like this place much…" Jun muttered as he made his way through the Rukongai. "Ugh." It didn't help that he was feeling faint from hunger. He'd been travelling two days and no one was willing to give him the time of day, let alone any food. He wasn't going to try stealing because it was against his morals and he was probably terrible at it anyway. He just needed to reach the gates of the city and he was getting much closer. Soon, he would be there.

Jun had no idea that his hunger was meaningful. He also had no way of knowing that his reiatsu had practically exploded on entering Soul Society. He shone brightly now, to those who had the senses to detect it. Roughly equivalent to a seated officer, his innate power signified he was destined for great things. Right now, though, all it meant was an aching pain in his gut and sore feet as he walked to the gates of the Seireitei.

"Oh hey. You a new recruit?" The gatekeeper wasn't the brightest but he could still feel the power of the young man in front of him. "Here to take the exams?" If so he would be escorted in, taken to the usual place and be given the tests to see if he would make a shinigami. Jun blinked at the man, stunned by how big he was.

"Um, not exactly. I was sent here by Sentaro and Kiyone? I'm looking for Kyoraku Shunsui?" He said hesitantly and the gate guard blinked.

"Well that's new… Okay, I'll send someone to the Thirteenth. Kyoraku ain't able to leave his Division right now, you know?" He said and Jun nodded sadly. He did know and felt badly about it, although at least he knew Shunsui wasn't in a lot of trouble. It didn't take long for someone to arrive.

"Jun!" That was Kiyone and he smiled at her as she waved. Sentaro was behind her, beaming.

"You took a while! You must have come in pretty far out!" Sentaro said as they jogged up. Jun nodded.

"I think so. District fifty-four?" He said and they both winced. "It took me two days to get here." Two days without food and only minimal water. He felt a bit faint just thinking about it. "Can I see Shunsui?" His own needs were taking backseat to that. He needed to see Shunsui, know he was alright.

"Of course! He's been waiting for you. He was sad to hear you died but happy to know you'd be coming to see him!" Kiyone said with a smile and Jun smiled back. "Right this way."

Jun was constrained to a normal pace, without any knowledge of shunpo, so it took a while to reach the Eighth Division. As they did, Jun frowned and stopped as he saw the black and red pillars. They felt strange to him and somehow, not good. There were marks inscribed in them but he couldn't read them. Sentaro saw where his gaze was going and explained.

"Those are the wards to keep Kyoraku taichou in the Division before his disciplinary hearing." He said and Jun bit his lip. Kiyone saw his expression and tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry! Everyone is sure it will just be a slap on the wrist. Everyone understands how he feels." She assured him and Jun nodded, hoping she was right. "And it's just internal. Soutaichou Yamamoto will handle it… right this way!" They both led him into the building, which was very old fashioned to Jun's eyes, but clearly much in use. It vaguely reminded him of a monastery he'd visited, when he was a child. They brought him to one particular door and Sentaro knocked.

"Come in." That voice… Jun swallowed as they opened the door and he saw Shunsui again.

He looked so much the same, yet so different. He was wearing robes like Sentaro and Kiyone and… a kimono? It looked very strange yet oddly right and Jun blinked as he felt an odd sensation of déjà vu. Then it vanished as he stepped into the room and Shunsui looked up from his tea. Grey eyes met brown and grey widened in shock.

"Jun!" Shunsui stood with a wide smile and Jun smiled back as he was caught up in strong, warm arms. "Kami, I was so worried about you. Was it… did they…" He sounded so guilty and Jun shook his head, understanding the question.

"It didn't hurt much. Don't worry, Shunsui. I…" Jun blinked as his vision suddenly darkened. "Just… glad to… see you…" He couldn't stop the sudden feeling of faintness that hit him. He knew it would alarm everyone and he tried desperately to brace himself, but his legs suddenly felt like rubber. He heard Sentaro and Kiyone's startled exclamations and saw the alarmed expression on Shunsui's face as the darkness ate away his vision. But he felt comforted and warm in those arms… Jun was vaguely aware of himself being eased to the ground before everything went dark.

* * *

"…Dehydration and malnourishment." Hanatoro said as he tended to Jun. Sentaro and Kiyone had both run for help while Shunsui had stayed with the young man. He was holding Jun's hand now, looking into that calm, peaceful face. "He'll be fine but make sure he eats and drinks as soon as he wakes up."

"Oh kami, I didn't think… he's been walking for two days and he probably didn't eat a thing." Kiyone sounded guilty. "Why didn't he say something?"

"He was too focused on getting to Kyoraku taichou. That's exactly what he would do." Sentaro sounded subdued and Shunsui nodded with a small smile as he reached up to gently stroke back a bit of downy black hair. They were absolutely right. That was what Juushiro would have done… neglected his physical needs in favor of his friends.

"I'll take care of him. Could you give us some time alone?" He asked the pair who nodded. They were both eager to get to know the 'new' Juushiro, but they understood that Shunsui would want time with him. "Can you wake him?" He asked Hanatoro. Normally, he would leave someone unconscious – it was usually the bodies' way of recovering – but Jun desperately needed some water. He nodded and rested a hand on Jun's chest, gently using his healing kido to tug the young man into wakefulness. Eyelids fluttered for a moment before opening.

"Shunsui? What did… oh. I'm so sorry." Jun said as he sat up, resting a hand on his forehead. "I didn't mean to…" He sounded quite embarrassed and Shunsui chuckled before pressing a cup of tea into his hand.

"You need to eat and drink, Jun. Someone with your kind of spiritual pressure will need a great deal of nourishment." He said gently and Jun nodded before sipping the tea, then drinking it quickly. "Let me get you some water." Plain water would likely be better now. The young man nodded with a small sigh.

"I suppose I should have said but I just wanted to see you so badly." He said and Shunsui chuckled before finding a jug of water and pouring his lover a glass. Then there was a knock on the door and they both looked up as it was pushed open.

"I got you some food, sir!" Kiyone chirped and behind her, Sentaro spoke loudly.

"I got you more! And better!"

"HAH! I'm sure he'll like my ohagi better than yours!" She said as Jun looked mildly alarmed and looked to Shunsui for protection. He chuckled before resting a hand on his back reassuringly. "I know how to make them better!"

"We didn't make them, we – OW!" Kiyone had just stomped on Sentaro's foot. "WHAT?!"

"You weren't supposed to tell them that! We made them, remember?! Idiot…" She huffed before she sat the tray on the table. Jun looked at it in mild dismay before giving them both a warm smile.

"Thank you." He took a piece and began to slowly eat it, mindful of the painful cramping of his stomach. Shunsui watched him carefully and was relieved to see that Jun understood the dangers of eating too much too quickly. Sentaro set his tray down and Jun took one of his next before assuring them both that the food was lovely. They both left with smiles on their faces and Shunsui smiled as well. Jun didn't have the practice at it that Juushiro did, but already he was managing the third seats in exactly the same way. "The truth is, I don't like ohagi." Jun said softly and Shunsui blinked in surprise. That was certainly different. "My mother's family wasn't from Japan and she hated bean curd. I hardly ever had anything with it."

"Oh, I see." That did explain it and no one had ever said tastes would stay the same, with reincarnation. In fact, Shunsui supposed that would be highly variable. After all, family backgrounds would be very different. "Where were they from?" He asked curiously and Jun smiled slightly.

"Indonesia." He said lightly. "We had peanut satay's all the time, when we weren't having sushi. We had a lot of Japanese cuisine… just not bean curd." He said before eating another piece of the ohagi. "It does taste wonderful right now, though." He admitted and Shunsui laughed.

"Hunger is the best sauce." He said and Jun gave him a pensive smile. Shunsui had a feeling he knew what the young man was feeling. "You must have so many questions." He said softly and Jun looked at the plate of food. "…I'm sorry for lying to you." Jun looked up with a surprised expression.

"You didn't lie, Shunsui. You just didn't tell me the whole truth." He said before taking a deep drink of his water. "I don't mind, really. And I'm so glad you're alright." Then his eyes clouded. "You are going to be fine? Sentaro and Kiyone said so but…" He sounded worried and Shunsui smiled reassuringly.

"I'll be fine. Likely I'll just be banned from the Living World for a while." He said before thinking of something. "I'm afraid you won't be allowed to go back either, except for a few training missions. It's a policy, with new shinigami who have relations in the Living World." They simply had to give up the past. There was a flash of pain in Jun's eyes, but he nodded.

"I know. I'm sure Rikka will take care of things. She can be truly merciless." He said softly and Shunsui blinked. He wouldn't have thought so. Jun saw that and smiled slightly. "I once saw her kick a man down and then beat him with her bag, after he tried to steal an old woman's purse. And her shoes have steel toes and her bag usually has a very heavy book in it." He said and Shunsui winced. Somehow, he could picture that. He'd noticed how large and heavy her boots were and Sentaro had mentioned them. He and Kiyone had both been a bit intimidated by the psychic. "She'll take care of it. I… Sentaro and Kiyone, did they tell you what happened…?" He asked and Shunsui nodded sadly. He'd known Jun's father was an unpleasant man but he hadn't really guessed he was an evil one.

"I'm so sorry." He said softly, reaching out to grip Jun's hand. "You should have had so much more time…" He'd died much too young. Jun smiled then and it looked genuine.

"From the sounds of it, I would have lost you. I love them and I miss them, but I can't regret being with you." He said and Shunsui felt deeply touched by that. "Can you tell me what to expect here? I'm still a bit vague on it." And he knew Shunsui couldn't show him around.

"Of course! Let me tell you about the Academy…" He'd already given Jun some stories, but they had been highly edited. This time he went into things like the nature of kido and zanpakuto. Jun listened intently, sipping his tea.

These were things he would really need to know, to fit into his new home.

* * *

Fitting in, though, wasn't too easy.

The problem was largely caused by Sentaro and Kiyone. After speaking with Jun and observing him a bit, they were both absolutely convinced that he was indeed Juushiro's reincarnation. Curiously, Shunsui was far more cautious. He was almost sure but knew there was no way to be completely sure, and Jun couldn't remember anyway, so he'd decided to just treat Jun as the remarkable young man who'd claimed his heart.

Other people, though, viewed it differently. Shunsui's word wasn't good enough for them because of his highly personal loss. But Sentaro and Kiyone had been very close to Juushiro, yet a bit more distant than Kyoraku. That piqued the curiosity of a lot of people and led the instructors at the Academy to expect great things out of their newest student.

"This must be what having an older brother feels like." Jun said one day over supper, wry amusement in his tone. Shunsui gave him a questioning look, his mouth full of food. "Feeling that you're always being compared to someone older, wiser and more capable." He shook his head, exasperated but definitely amused. "How can I possibly measure up?" He asked and Shunsui put down his chopsticks with a frown.

"No one has said that to you, I hope?" He really hoped the teachers at the Academy weren't comparing Jun to Juushiro. That would just be cruel. Jun laughed, shaking his head as he reached for more sushi.

"Not directly. But they expect me to be the top of my class and are so surprised and disappointed when I'm not." He said before sighing softly. "And they always put me in leadership roles in the class… which I am good at, but sometimes I wish they wouldn't." He said, a touch plaintively. "I was always the peacemaker but I'm not so used to being expected to take the lead, too." Jun said softly and Shunsui nodded. He could easily picture that. Jun's air of maturity and ability to get others working together nicely would only encourage the instructors to put responsibility on him. Too much though?

"Did you want me to talk to them?" He offered. Maybe they needed reminding that Jun might not be Juushiro's reincarnation and even if he was, the very process of reincarnation meant he was a new person. He couldn't remember and couldn't be expected to take exactly the same path. Jun considered it for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, it's fine. I'll manage. I just want to complain a bit." He admitted with a blush and Shunsui laughed. "Speaking of complaints, how has your work been going?" He said with good humor and Shunsui smiled.

"Oh Jun, you know me so well! Nanao-chan has been especially cold lately." He said cheerfully and Jun smiled. "She says I've had enough of a honeymoon and need to get my head out of the clouds and my nose to the grindstone."

"I'm sure she's right." Jun said with good humor as Shunsui smiled to himself. That was just what Juu would have said. "If there's anything I can help with, though…" And that was definitely NOT an offer Juushiro would have made. He'd had his own paperwork and while he loved Shunsui, would never help his slacking off friend and lover. Shunsui laughed and shook his head.

"Oh no, I'll be fine." And he would. Nanao might threaten him with her binder but she rarely followed through. "I have plenty of time on my hands these days." He said ruefully. The punishment he'd been handed was only annoying, but it was very annoying indeed. He was confined to the barracks for the period of a month and banned from going to the Living World for five years. The only reason that was so short was because Jun had joined him. There was no need to keep the lovers apart. "Have you thought about what unit you'll join when you graduate?" He asked. There was likely to be a war over Jun and the young man would have some input. Cadets could submit a request for a unit and if it was possible, it would be honored. Jun looked pensive for a moment.

"I would like to join yours but I've looked over the regulations. That would cause issues, wouldn't it?" He asked and Shunsui nodded, suddenly sobering. That was absolutely true, there were rules about fraternizing within the ranks. It might be especially problematic if Jun earned a promotion quickly. It would look like favoritism, there was no way to avoid that. "And I really don't want to work under Sentaro and Kiyone so the Thirteenth is out." He said firmly and Shunsui had to laugh. He could only imagine how that would go! The two of them would be trying to defer to Jun constantly, despite his being ranked beneath them. "I was thinking I might like to be a healer… I already seem to have a talent for it. But I have a feeling my zanpakuto will definitely not be a healing type."

"Oh?" That piqued Shunsui's interest. "You've heard the voice of your zanpakuto?" That was very unusual. Jun didn't look happy about it, though. To the contrary, he looked worried and even a touch upset.

"I believe so… I hear them in dreams." He said softly and Shunsui's interest sharpened. Them? Did Jun have a dual zanpakuto? "I understand that zanpakuto are a piece of our souls… I… fear that mine will be the voice of my pain." He looked at his tea, his face pinched. "There are two voices. One… it sounds like a crackling fire and makes me feel scorched. It's hard to listen to." He said softly and Shunsui frowned. "The other sounds like she's weeping even as she speaks. Her voice is cool, but it does not quench the burn of the other… They are not gentle spirits." Jun sounded very sad and Shunsui swallowed. "I think they are my rage and my pain."

"It is natural that you would have those emotions." Shunsui said softly, watching his young companion. Juushiro had often had trouble facing the fact that he would feel such things. Why should Jun be any different? And he had to be hiding so much anger and hurt, over the circumstances of his death. Jun gave him a weak smile before sipping his tea.

"I know. I just wish my zanpakuto were something gentler, not something that is so painful and destructive." Jun said sadly and Shunsui nodded, thinking on the nature of his own zanpakuto. Part of the reason he never used his bankai was the way it affected him… he'd only used it five times in his life. Each time, it felt like he'd sacrificed a tiny bit of his humanity and he greatly feared the effect was cumulative. Juushiro had assured him there was no change he could detect, but Shunsui thought he'd been lying to comfort him. It felt like the darkness in his soul had grown. Would Jun be saddled with such a thing?

_If he is, he will have to learn to bear it, just as you have._ Katen Kyokotsu said, her tone indifferent and Shunsui sighed to himself. He knew his zanpakuto was right about that. It wouldn't make things any easier for Jun but he could only be there for him.

"Never be ashamed of or afraid of your zanpakuto." He said firmly. That was something he knew about. He'd been afraid of Katen Kyokotsu, once upon a time, but Yamamoto had helped him get past that. "It can only cripple your power and make your zanpakuto resentful." Kazeshini and Hisagi Shuuhei were a perfect example of that. "Too many of the Academy teachers will tell you that your swords are only tools… don't listen to them." It was, alas, the common perception of the basic shinigami. And it was part of the reason they were basic. Jun snorted softly, setting down his teacup.

"I've already heard one of them say that. Clearly, she's never heard the voice of her zanpakuto at all or she'd never say such a thing." He sounded annoyed and Shunsui couldn't help but smile. That was too true. "I wish I could let her hear mine. Then she wouldn't say anything so stupid."

"Mmm, yes." Shunsui yawned before glancing out the window. It was getting late. "Will you be going back to the Academy tonight?" He couldn't help the wistfulness in his tone. Keeping up a love affair between a cadet and a taichou was interesting, to say the least. Jun smiled and it was so sweet it took his breath away.

"Not tonight. I'll just get up early tomorrow, to make it to class." Jun said and Shunsui smiled appreciatively, taking his hand. Jun squeezed him, his brown eyes warm. Standing, he led the young man to his quarters.

This was going to be a wonderful night.

* * *

_Rage down destruction, twisted fire demon. Weep bitter tears, suffering angel._

_Kokoro no Itami._

_~FIN~_


	6. Bonus Chapter

"Are you well?" Jun heard the voice but it was oddly distant. Groaning softly, he struggled to open his eyes. It was a fight, for certain.

"What happened?" He muttered as he tried to focus on the face in front of him. The last thing he remembered was… "Mayuri?" No, this was definitely not him. There was a huge lack of face paint. The young man smiling down at him seemed oddly familiar…

"I'm sorry, no." Jun blinked at the way the other man was speaking. It sounded… strange. An accent? Yet it was like nothing he'd ever heard before. "Let me…" A hand gently touched him, helping him sit up. Jun gripped his head, feeling a headache coming on. Also a strange pain in his… what? Jun grimaced before resting a hand on his chest. It wasn't his body, he could sense that. This pain was in his soul.

_You should not be here._ The voice that seemed to always be weeping said. Beneath the tears she sounded concerned.

_It is very wrong._ The burning voice agreed and Jun grimaced. He was gradually learning to listen to them without experiencing pain, but right now they were aggravating the feeling of wrongness. The person beside him was looking at him strangely.

"Forgive me, are you a new student?" He asked and Jun blinked as he realized the other was wearing a uniform quite similar to his own. It was slightly different, though. The cut and the emblems were just a touch off.

"Um… yes." He said although that wasn't true. At this point in time, he was on his final year of the accelerated program. He'd even learned the name of his zanpakuto and made full contact with them. Jun looked into the other man's face, examining him for a moment. He had shoulder length brown hair and a small beard. He also looked so incredibly familiar… Jun's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened as he realized why. "Shunsui?" He asked, stunned. The other looked taken aback.

"Why… yes. How did you know?" He said as their eyes met, grey to brown. "Have we met?" He questioned and Jun swallowed, hard. Shunsui seemed ageless but Jun had never had any doubt that he was much older than him, even when they first met. However, now… he had the distinct feeling Shunsui might be younger than him. The feeling of age and experience was gone. What was going on?

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry. I'm… Haru." He made that up on the spot. "Shimizi… Haru." Somehow, he thought giving Shunsui his real name might be a mistake. The other man smiled, mildly puzzled.

"My apologies, I don't remember you." He said and Jun was absolutely certain that was true. "If you're a new student you should be in classes."

"Uh, right." Jun muttered as he desperately wondered where to go. Nothing was familiar. This looked like the Rukongai but he couldn't recognize a thing. "I'm… I think I'm lost. Could you show me?" He asked and Shunsui smiled. It was friendly but there was something calculating beneath it, something that put Jun on guard. It reminded him of how Shunsui looked when they were sparring, in fact.

"Right this way." He said before gesturing. "Walk beside me." He said and normally, Jun would have interpreted that as an intimate thing. Right now he saw it as an expression of distrust. Sighing to himself, he walked confidently beside Shunsui.

He had no idea what was going on but for now, he just had to make the best of it.

* * *

The Academy was nothing like what Jun had expected.

"It's small." He muttered to himself, stunned by the size of it. It was about a quarter the size of the building he was used to. And it was in a completely different part of the Seireitei, a location that was far less central. And that wasn't the only difference.

Jun felt like he'd stepped back in time. He'd thought that Soul Society hadn't moved with the years, but now he knew that wasn't true. In the place he knew it was possible to see hints of modernity, everywhere. A gas powered grill, that a street vendor would be cooking sausages over. A group of youths playing with a boom box, making it work with tiny bits of kido. Shinigami with cell phones tucked into their belts, for when they went back to the Living World and wanted to talk to each other in a land with cell phone towers. Bedazzled shirts and combs.

There was none of that here. Jun noticed the lack when he saw a man using a charcoal brazier to cook his food, and noticed it more as they walked through the Seireitei. None of the shinigami he saw had cell phones, and they didn't look the same either. The uniforms they wore were… not uniform. And that was saying a lot, considering that the dress code was rather lax to begin with. It was like there WAS no dress code here, aside from the color black. And even that was dubious.

"Well, it is rather new." Shunsui said cheerfully and Jun bit his lip. New? Even shinigami wouldn't call the Academy a 'new' institution! But hadn't Shunsui and Juushiro been among the first classes…?

"Sweet kami." Jun breathed. He'd gone back in time, somehow. What had Mayuri done? And if Shunsui was right about his status as Juushiro's reincarnation then… "No wonder I feel strange." This had to be an incredibly unnatural situation, two identical souls existing in the same space. And even if he wasn't Juushiro's reincarnation he was probably _someone's_ reincarnation.

_Yes, this is not good. I wonder what the long term effects will be?_ The angel said thoughtfully.

_There had best not be a long term._ The fire demon said firmly and Juushiro nodded, rather agreeing with her. _You must go back._

"I know." But how? Was there anything he could do at all on this end? And he couldn't tell these people what had happened. Shunsui certainly hadn't remembered him, not like that! Theoretically, maybe he could tell Juushiro. He'd died before Jun had been born. But would that be a good idea?

"Tell me Haru. What noble house are you from?" Shunsui said and Jun blinked, responding without a thought.

"I'm not a noble." To him that wasn't odd at all. Nobles were actually in the minority at the Academy he knew. A sizable minority, but still a minority. There was a pause and Jun realized he might have made a mistake as he looked at Shunsui. He was looking at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh, I see. You must be in the most recent class then." Shunsui said and Jun felt like he was walking through a minefield. "What district are you from?"

"Uh…" Briefly, Jun wished he was a better liar. "Fifty-four." He said and there was a soft laugh beside him.

"That's very far out!" Shunsui said cheerfully and Jun relaxed a little. It looked like his 'friend' was buying it. "You have an odd accent, too. Well, here you are." There was a hand on his back and Jun found himself ushered into a room holding a group of students. They looked at him in puzzlement as he took a seat, trying to look like he belonged. Shunsui vanished and the instructor gave him an odd look before continuing her lecture. Fortunately, it was mathematics. Jun had learned things more complex in high school, so he just let it roll over him. As he did, he tried to think of what to do.

It was hard to imagine what he could do.

* * *

"Juushiro, I think we have a very inept spy on our hands." At first, Shunsui had been worried. Now he was seeing the hilarity of the situation.

"Um? What do you mean?" Juushiro looked up from his books, surprised. Shunsui couldn't help but grin as he remembered the exchange.

"I met a boy named Shimizi Haru…" He ran through the first of the encounter, including the almost-but-not-quite Academy uniform. Then he got to the punchline. "He said he wasn't a noble and when I asked what district he was from, he said fifty-four."

"What?!" Juushiro looked like he couldn't believe it as Shunsui grinned. There were only thirty-eight districts in the Rukongai. "…Is he mentally deficient?" He asked wonderingly and Shunsui scratched his head.

"No, I don't think so. Just very confused, which makes things more interesting." Haru seemed to have no idea what he was doing. "He must be from the Living World." That was the only explanation for such thick-headedness. Juushiro frowned slightly.

"Even that's strange… we need to tell Yamamoto." He said and Shunsui nodded. They were last year students and they'd already helped Yamamoto extensively, through the very tough years founding the Academy. Students from the Living World weren't allowed yet, although they had hopes from the future. Perhaps that was why the young man had lied… but even so, fifty-four? That was simply idiotic.

They would tell Yamamoto. He would know what to do.

* * *

For Jun, the next few weeks were both boring, difficult and fraught with tension.

The boredom came from his classes. Basic didn't begin to describe them. It seemed they assumed most of the students coming in were just barely literate. That seemed odd to Jun, given that almost all the students were nobles. But the standards of the day had to be a bit different.

The difficulty came from adapting to his new circumstances. There were so many things he was used to that were completely lacking, like shampoo. He'd tried washing his hair with soap but that simply didn't work… his hair developed a horrible film. Finally, he'd realized that the answer was just to use nothing but water. For a few days his hair was extremely greasy before coming to an equilibrium. Without any blow driers to make it fluffy, Jun simply parted it and let it be.

There was no deodorant either. A few inquiries had made people think he was insane… Everyone washed with soap in the morning but body odor was just something you lived with. If you really wanted to cover it up, there was perfume. Many of the young nobles used it but Jun had quickly realized it was out of his price range. Perfumes were not cheap, here. Gradually, he grew so used to the scent that he didn't even notice it anymore.

There were also no modern razors. After realizing that he would have to shave with a straight razor, Jun immediately gave up and started growing a beard. It wasn't the best beard in the world and he hated the way it itched, but he hated the thought of cutting his own throat by accident even more.

Then there was money and the fact that he didn't have any. The Academy he knew provided a small allowance. Jun had used it for frivolous things, and Shunsui had paid for most of their outings. This past Academy was quite different. The noble students got allowances from their families and the non-noble ones… who were very few… also get money from their families. Students like him, from the Living World, simply did not exist. Jun wondered why not. Powerful shinigami were reincarnated and sometimes came back directly, rather than being reborn as a baby soul. Yet at this time, they seemed to be barred from becoming shinigami.

So he couldn't socialize much with his fellow students. Not that he really wanted to. As one of the few non-noble students in the group, he was something of a pariah. Jun had quickly made friends with the other two non-nobles but they were an ill-treated little group. Which led to something quite unfortunate.

"…Not that filth like you would know anything about shikai." One of the nobles said, his nose firmly in the air. He'd been pontificating, loudly, about the achievements of his noble clan. They didn't sound that impressive to Jun, but in his time the education was standardized and finding shikai likely wasn't as difficult, if you had the potential for it at all.

"No, I wouldn't know anything about that." Jun agreed with deep sarcasm. "I only have one." He'd achieved it last year, in fact. Since then Shunsui had been training him with it, along with his instructors at the Academy. There was laughter from the nobles in their little clique.

"Oh, tell us another one!" A particularly annoying specimen said. Jun couldn't remember his name although he'd been told they were a fairly major clan. Which likely stank for them, given that he was fairly sure they were no longer prominent in his future. Jun's eyes narrowed and he dropped his hand to the hilt of his sword. He could feel his zanpakuto's anger, burning like a fire in the back of his mind. It encouraged his own anger, something he needed to be wary of… but it was so hard, sometimes.

"Haru, don't." The girl beside him said, tugging his arm. Jun blinked before relaxing his grip and smiling slightly. She was right, this wasn't worth it.

"You may believe what you like, but I still have my shikai." He said lightly to a chorus of hoots. Then the instructor came in and the lessons started.

This was the one class Jun had to pay close attention to… the history of Soul Society. The events were not even remotely current and hadn't been covered that thoroughly in his own classes. He also enjoyed learning about these things. So many of the events they went into in depth were considered ancient history in the current time.

Later that day they had weapons practice and that was where things got awkward. Apparently, word of his boast had gotten around and some people, at least, were inclined to take him seriously.

"So, Haru!" Shunsui. Jun looked up from his kido practice with a smile. That smile faded a bit, though, as he saw the slightly predatory air his… would be lover had. An arm was flung over his shoulder and unfortunately, it didn't really strike him as a friendly gesture. Jun saw another young man watching, this one with white hair and brown eyes. Their eyes met and for a brief moment, he felt an intense connection. From the look on the other's face, he felt it too. Shunsui was still saying something but Jun completely lost track of that as they stared at each other.

Then a hand waved in front of his face and Jun blinked. The moment was broken and he looked at Shunsui, almost speechless. Shunsui was frowning at him now, glancing at the other man. He had a hand over his face and looked a bit faint.

"Juu, are you alright?" He asked, concerned. The white haired man looked up with a wan smile.

"I'm fine. It was just… strange." He said and Jun swallowed, realizing who this had to be.

"Ukitake Juushiro." He murmured and they both looked at him. Juushiro seemed thoughtful but Shunsui's face held confusion and deep suspicion. Jun winced at that expression. "I'm sorry." He said, wishing he could explain what he was apologizing for. "What were you saying?" He asked to head off any difficult questions.

"I was saying, I'm told you have a shikai. That's unheard of for a non-noble student." He said, which immediately annoyed Jun. He knew it was reflected in his face, although he tried to hide it. "Could you show it to me?" Jun bridled a bit at the insinuation. His eyes narrowing, he opened his mouth to ask if Shunsui thought he wasn't _noble_ enough to have a shikai. Then Juushiro spoke and that soft voice drew his attention instantly.

"We haven't had many non-noble students. The Academy hasn't been founded long… many like to say that non-nobles simply don't have the spiritual pressure to achieve anything great. It would be good to prove them wrong." He said and Jun blinked at that, unable to fully keep the disbelief of his face. Although for someone who had been trained on stories about Kurosaki Ichigo, Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia – who was certainly not noble by birth – that sounded completely ludicrous.

"Um… right. I'd love to see someone say that to… nevermind." Shaking his head, he took a step back and gripped his swords more firmly. "Rage down destruction, twisted fire demon. Weep bitter tears, suffering angel." He said the brief incantation before speaking their name. "Kokoro no Itami." _Heart's Pain._

His weapons immediately changed. He fought as Shunsui did, with a long sword and a short. The long became curved, although not nearly to the degree of Shunsui's swords. It became more elaborate, thicker and wider, and took on a reddish hue. The back was pronged, wicked projections that were designed to pull insides out, when it was withdrawn from a body. The hilt also changed. The wrappings had been simple red, but now there was a chain that connected it to his short sword.

The shorter weapon had also changed. It covered in a gel-like substance that gave it an odd, greenish sheen. That gel sometimes oozed off in droplets, hissing where it hit the ground. That was a very good indication of the nature of its power.

"Is that sufficient?" Jun said tersely. He didn't want to go any further with this. Shunsui had told him before that keeping the powers of one's shikai and bankai mysterious was very valuable. Of course, that meant they wouldn't accept just that.

"Oh, you have to show us what it does Haru!" Shunsui coaxed him and Jun blinked rapidly for a moment. That was the exact same tone Shunsui always used, when he was trying to talk him into something a bit silly. It suddenly made him want to cry. He missed Shunsui. Not the young man he had to keep secrets from, but the older man who made him feel safe and secure. Looking at Juushiro, Jun saw understanding but also a silent challenge and he knew they wouldn't accept it if he didn't show them more.

"…Fine, I'll show you something." He finally surrendered, well aware that the other students and several teachers were watching. Pointing his long blade at a target, he unleashed a small burst of flame. It was a weak shot, but that was deliberate. Nothing more was needed to incinerate his target. Then he turned to another practice dummy and issued a mental command. The chain snapped from the hilt of his red sword and Jun used it to twirl the smaller blade. He'd practiced this so many times… then he used the chain to throw the weapon into the target. The chain lengthened, which was part of its power, and when the blade hit the dummy the gel splashed over it. It immediately started to smoke and ooze. Jun reeled his weapon back in as the practice dummy began to turn black, wide holes forming as the material was eaten away. "That's enough." Jun said firmly. His weapons had far more tricks than that but he was not interested in sharing them.

"Interesting. That is most certainly a shikai. And your power jumped considerably when you released it." Juushiro said thoughtfully and Jun dearly wished he could get to know his… other half? Predecessor?... better. They were in completely different classes, though. "Thank you. That was helpful." He said politely and Jun watched as he and Shunsui walked off, clearly discussing something. He frowned a little, wondering what was going on.

"Grandstanding." Someone said derisively and Jun longed to give them a boot in the ass. Taking a deep breath – this place seemed to be bringing out the worst in him – he forced himself back to calm and turned to his own practice.

He wanted to go home.

* * *

"That was very interesting." Juushiro said in a low tone and Shunsui glanced back at the young man. He was practicing, utterly absorbed in what he was doing. The movements and skill behind them were very good. It was the same style he used, so he could tell Haru was well versed in it.

"Yes. What was that, when he looked at you?" Shunsui couldn't help but feel mildly jealous. They hadn't been lovers long and he couldn't help but be a bit insecure at times. Juushiro flashed him a smile, but it was troubled.

"I'm… not sure. It was strange. It felt like I knew him but more intense than anything I've felt before." He said slowly, which did not reassure his lover much. "Like a long lost brother? It was very strange."

"Hrm." Shunsui suspected Juushiro had picked that comparison to reassure him, but it did work. "Well, we need to inform Yamamoto. He'll be taking an interest now." Before this, he'd told his instructors to keep an eye on the boy as well as asking Shunsui and Juushiro to watch him a bit. But for a first year student to have a shikai… it was just as absurd as the rest of Haru's story. Everything about him was untrue, but it was so obvious it wasn't truly threatening. "What is he hiding?" That was an interesting question.

"Genryusai sensei will get it out of him." Juushiro said confidently and Shunsui nodded. He thought that was likely.

"Maybe we'll be there to see it!" That would be rather fun. And it was quite possible.

They were heavily involved, after all.

* * *

Jun swallowed as he took a seat on the cushions.

He'd been called to a meeting with the Soutaichou and current headmaster of the Academy, Yamamoto. Jun wondered how he could hold both posts, but supposed it was necessary. This was early days in the Academy's founding and it likely needed a personal touch. That certainly explained how Shunsui and Juushiro had become his personal protégé's.

What really shocked Jun, though, was Yamamoto's appearance. He'd seen the old man in the present, although only spoken to him a few times. Yamamoto was clearly skeptical of his possible reincarnation status and concerned for Shunsui. That had faded, as their relationship proved stable, but Jun knew he still had concerns about their differences in age and experience. That didn't really bother him. It was definitely a May-December romance and he could see why those close to Shunsui would be concerned.

Now, though, Yamamoto looked exactly the same. There was no difference at all that Jun could see and that was downright bizarre. A thousand years had passed and he was still…?

"How old are you?" He murmured, then blushed as he realized he'd said that out loud. "Uh, I'm sorry Soutaichou!" He quickly apologized as the old man just stared at him for a moment. Then he chuckled, a low, rumbling sound.

"Older than you, youngster." He said, amused, and Jun's blush darkened. He ducked his head, feeling like a complete idiot. Then Shunsui and Juushiro joined them, taking seats on the cushions behind Yamamoto. Jun bit his lip, afraid this was going to be an interrogation.

It was, although it didn't go very well from the beginning.

"You have been lying to us." Yamamoto said sternly and Jun winced. "There are only thirty-eight sections of the Rukongai." That made him flinch. He'd messed up from the very beginning? "Who are you, boy?"

"I… I can't tell you." Jun said more bravely than he felt. But he simply could not tell Yamamoto. He knew the old man did not remember him in his present. If he had, he would have acted completely differently. "It's for your own good." He said, firmly this time.

"My good? I will be the judge of that." Yamamoto said just as firmly and his reiatsu rippled with irritation. But Jun met it with the absolute conviction that he was doing the right thing. His own reiatsu flared with it and he could see Shunsui and Juushiro both wince at the clash.

"No. You can't know. Shunsui can't either." He said before hesitating. "…I can tell Juushiro. But the two of you must not know." That made the two young men behind Yamamoto exchange a surprised glance.

"Why is Juushiro different? Is it that connection between you?" Shunsui asked as Yamamoto frowned. Jun sighed, looking down.

"I can't tell you." He repeated. "Any information is too much." Shunsui didn't remember him either. Of course, it had been a thousand years and his face wasn't that memorable. But if he told any stories about time travel and reincarnation, he would be certain to remember. Jun had no idea what that would do to things, but he didn't want to take the chance. "I'm sorry. I'll tell Ukitake my secrets but no one else. He can decide what to do. You trust him, don't you?" Jun asked, knowing they did. Shunsui frowned at him as Yamamoto seemed to mull it over.

"…Very well. You will tell Juushiro your secrets and he will decide what must be kept." Yamamoto said and Jun had the distinct feeling the old man expected Juushiro to tell him everything. Jun very much doubted that would happen. The two of them left the room, leaving him with the white haired young man. They stared at each other for a moment and Jun felt that connection again.

"…Well?" Juushiro finally said, breaking that feeling and Jun blinked before swallowing.

"I… don't know where to begin." This was going to be a lot to lay on anyone. Juushiro smiled, a warm, gentle expression.

"Why don't you start from the beginning? What is your name?" He asked and Jun smiled. Perhaps that was a good place to start.

"My name is Shimizi Jun, and I'm from Tokyo in the Living World." He said softly before sighing. "I'm not supposed to be here. Mayuri must have done this to me… he was trying to determine if might be your reincarnation." Juushiro's eyes widened and Jun swallowed at the look on his face. Shocked and a touch horrified. "There were some hopes that such tests could be used in the future, to identify powerful souls and awaken them." It was just a pipe dream right now. They weren't even sure it would be wise. But Kurotsuchi had been interested enough to investigate. "Shunsui is the one who found me, after you died. He's fairly sure I might be you, but he says it doesn't really matter, I'm remarkable either way." Jun smiled, a touch shyly. "Yamamoto just thinks he's being an old fool." He said wryly and Juushiro blinked. "Neither of them remember me." Jun was absolutely certain of that. "You can't tell them. If they hear a story about reincarnation and time travel, they'll certainly remember after you… pass on." He said and Juushiro swallowed.

"That's… a crazy story." Juushiro said and Jun nodded. It did sound insane. "…How long do I have to live?" He suddenly asked and Jun realized he hadn't specified how much time had passed.

"A thousand years." He said and was surprised to see an expression of massive relief on his predecessor's face. "Juushiro?" The young man across from him blinked and shook his head with a smile.

"I've always been afraid I would die young, from my disease. A thousand years? I'm happy with that." He said lightly and Jun blinked before smiling.

"I see what you mean." A thousand years was a good length of time. Sure, shinigami could live much longer but very few did. The job was dangerous. "…I want to go home." Jun said softly, looking into his tea. "I miss Shunsui." To him, the younger version was just not the same. There was no trust between them, no connection. And even if there had been, Jun could sense that the dynamic between the two of them would be very different. Shunsui was not the older man, the wily captain who had lived through so much. In this time, they would be peers. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but it would take some adapting to. A hand gently touched his wrist and he looked up to meet understanding brown eyes.

"It must be hard. Things must have changed a great deal." He said softly and Jun nodded sadly. "So there will be students from the Living World?"

"Oh yes. And at least one bankai wielder." Jun said and Juushiro looked surprised. "I probably shouldn't tell you too much about that. If I do, you'll know too much." His other self had certainly been alive when Kurosaki Ichigo came into his powers.

"I see… well, that just proves we're doing the right thing. What year were you actually in, before you were sent here?" Juushiro asked and that, Jun was glad to answer.

"The final year of the accelerated program. That's a special course of study for students with higher potential." He explained as Juushiro looked puzzled. "I imagine it was created to handle students like you and Shunsui." Right now, having Yamamoto as a mentor was feasible but that kind of personal touch just wouldn't be, when things really got off the ground. Juushiro nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense…" They continued talking for a while and Jun gave the other general information on how things were structured in the future. He didn't feel like he was altering things. After all, this needed to happen. Things weren't perfect in the Seireitei but he had a feeling they were better than what was going on now.

Soon, though, they were interrupted. Yamamoto and Shunsui had been playing shogi but still, they could only wait so long.

"Well?" Yamamoto rumbled, giving Jun a severe look. Juushiro sighed, pushing back a bit of his hair before meeting his sensei's eyes with utter conviction.

"He's right. You can't know the truth of why he is here." He said firmly and Shunsui looked taken aback. Yamamoto was hard to read but he didn't seem happy to Jun. "But we should have him tested and probably put in the final year classes. It's ridiculous, keeping him as a first year student."

"But… Juu… what in hell did he tell you?" Shunsui sounded quite upset and Juushiro looked down as Jun winced.

"I can't say. But I can tell you he's not a spy. He's just… not supposed to be here. We'll have to make the best of it, for as long as he is." Juushiro said and Jun nodded. That was about the best they could do.

"Hm… I see." Yamamoto said slowly and Jun wondered what he was thinking. But he suddenly came to a decision. "I will trust your judgment. Very well, we will have him tested. Shunsui, fetch Osan. He would be the best to come up with such tests." Shunsui gave Juushiro a betrayed look before leaving the room. Jun bit his lip, hoping he hadn't created a rift between the two of them.

But if he had, there wasn't much he could do.

* * *

"Juushiro, what the hell's going on?" Shunsui was upset with him. Juushiro had known he would be but there was just no way around it.

"Shunsui, I just can't tell you." He said patiently. "It really is for your own good." Juushiro was still absorbing some of the things he'd been told. Haru… Jun was his reincarnation and Shunsui's future love interest? The only thing that made it remotely plausible was that intense connection between them.

"What does that mean? How can be being kept in the dark be for my own good?" He demanded and Juushiro sighed.

"If I told you that, you would know too much." He said, holding tight to his patience. It wasn't Shunsui's fault, really it wasn't. "Please, you have to trust me. You'll understand someday." Although not for a thousand years, if Jun could somehow be returned to the time he belonged. Juushiro smiled to himself at the thought.

He honestly wasn't distressed by the thought of his future demise. He'd always known his time was limited. He was very happy to find out that he would live so long, with Shunsui by his side. And he'd learned some very valuable information on how best to structure the Academy in the future. An accelerated program… he would definitely have to mention that to Yamamoto. Juushiro didn't question the truth of Jun's story at all. Somehow, he knew it was completely true. The strange resonance between them assured that.

"Juu… I trust you but…" Shunsui looked at him with troubled eyes. "Don't you trust me?" He asked, turning it around and Juushiro shook his head.

"I'm not hiding from this because I distrust you, Shunsui. I'm hiding it because you simply can't know. Haru's right, it would do you no good and possibly a great deal of harm." He said gently and Shunsui frowned. "The same is true of Genryusai sensei. Someday, you WILL understand." He said firmly and Shunsui was finally forced to accept it. Not happily, but he could tell that his friend and lover was not going to budge.

"Well, you better prove to me that you like me more than him." Shunsui said and Juushiro couldn't help but laugh at the thought. With what he knew now, he would never consider touching Jun that way. They really were like brothers, only moreso. It would be very wrong.

"If you need proof, I'll give it to you." He said teasingly and brought Shunsui close. They kissed passionately and that quickly led to other things. Any thoughts of the future or the strange boy who'd been dumping in their laps quickly vanished.

They would worry about that tomorrow.

* * *

Jun concentrated hard as his blades clashed with Juushiro's.

Sparring against his other self was difficult for them both. The problem was that they could both completely anticipate the other's movements. The result was something more like a dance than a real spar and it was becoming frustrating. Finally, Juushiro was the one who called a halt to it.

"We just can't do this. It doesn't work." He said and Jun sighed, wiping a bit of sweat off his forehead.

"I'm afraid you're right." He admitted, shaking his head. "My zanpakuto doesn't like it, either." They were both grumbling off and on about the utter wrongness of the situation. Jun was sure they were right about that but it wasn't really helpful.

"Why don't we spar, Haru?" Shunsui offered and Jun hesitated, glancing at Juushiro. He was frowning, looking at his friend. "I won't hurt him Juu, I promise!"

"Hmph. You should worry about yourself." Jun teased him with a small smile. "Why don't we practice with our shikai?" He'd noticed they rarely seemed to do that. Shunsui's eyebrows arched at the suggestion.

"That would be rather dangerous, wouldn't it?" He said and Jun blinked.

"Um… well, a bit. We could certainly be hurt but… oh." Then he knew. They must not have the kido spell the instructors at the Academy he knew used. For a moment he debated not telling them but then decided, why not? It had to have been invented sometime… why not now? "I know a kido spell designed to help shikai users practice safely." He explained as they both looked at him. The arms master was listening too, now. "It reduces the power of your blows to roughly ten percent what they would otherwise be. It's nearly impossible to kill someone with it on." Not completely impossible, but you had to really be trying hard. That would be unusual for a spar. "You can be hurt, but nothing a few healing kido's won't take care of." And his instructors had always felt the bruises and cuts were part of the learning experience.

"Incredible. Can you show us?" Juushiro asked and Jun nodded, sheathing his weapons. Then he looked at Shunsui.

"Can you go to shikai, please?" The spell needed to be cast when the weapons were already unsealed. Shunsui frowned but muttered the incantation and Jun watched as his blades changed. Then he began to cast the kido. All the students were taught to cast it, so the instructors wouldn't have to handle it. A rune glowed brightly on Shunsui's blade for just a moment before – "HEY!" The rune shattered in golden sparks and Jun glowered at his target. "What did you do that for?" Shunsui had just undone his work.

"It's not much of a seal." He said dismissively and Jun rubbed his forehead for a moment. "I broke it easily."

"It's not a prisoners' seal, Shunsui." Jun said with pained patience and Shunsui suddenly looked taken aback. He couldn't know it but in that moment, his resemblance to Juushiro was pronounced. "It's meant to limit your power _unless_ you direct that power against the seal itself. Then it will break. That's so in case the Academy is attacked, you won't be crippled at an important moment."

"Oh. I… see. That's well thought out." Shunsui said slowly and Jun winced. Maybe he shouldn't have done this. "Can you do that again, slower this time?" It was too late to hold back. Jun demonstrated the seal again, taking it slow so they could see how the kido worked. Then he had them practice it on each other. Jun was no kido master but he was reasonably good at teaching and his audience was motivated. Soon, they had a grasp of it. "Good. Can you cast it on me?" He asked and Juushiro nodded. "Although I need to…" Jun concentrated hard and the gel like substance on his second blade vanished. Shunsui gave him a quizzical look and he explained. "I'm forbidden to use that in spars. Acid burns don't respond well to kido." He said and they both winced. "We have to do a bit of roleplay… if you get hit with that weapon in a non-vital area, it's disabling. If you're hit in a vital area, you're dead."

"In other words, don't let you hit me with that." Shunsui said with a crooked smile and Jun smiled back. Then Juushiro cast the seal and they readied themselves. Jun was vaguely aware of many other students watching but that was unimportant.

Soon they were clashing and Jun thought their skill levels were roughly equal. That really wasn't surprising. They were both last year students, after all… but Jun had a crucial advantage. He knew all the powers of Shunsui's shikai. His lover hadn't been shy about showing him and Jun had returned the favor. So now…

Jun gave Shunsui the opening deliberately, although he wasn't certain the other man would take it. The huge downside of Shunsui's shikai was that he could only play the games his zanpakuto chose to let him use. Right now, though, she must have seen the opening too. Shunsui drove his sword into the shadow just as Jun leapt to the side and lashed out with his chain. Its power was entanglement. And it did just that, whipping around Shunsui's blade. The surprised man couldn't hang onto it as Jun jerked violently on his chain, claiming the weapon for himself.

"Damn… Bushogoma!" That made Jun blinked. He hadn't been aware Shunsui could do that with only one weapon… he made a mental note to himself that 'his' Shunsui had been holding out on him before the tornado of air hit him. It caught the chain of his dagger and nearly dragged it out of his hand. Cursing, Jun forced every bit of power he had available into his fire sword before plunging it into the tornado of air.

The air abruptly went red before blasting outwards in a wave of fire. Fortunately it was very weak and dissipated quickly but Jun looked up, knowing where Shunsui's attack would come from. The other man did not disappoint and he knew he had to stop that. If Takaoni landed, it would cause an explosion. Pointing up with his fire sword he unleashed another attack.

"Fire flower." He commanded and fire erupted from the tip of his sword. It was a wide, unfocused attack, meant to distract more than harm. It effectively forced Shunsui to give up the high ground, which was what Jun needed. Throwing his dagger came as easily as breathing and Shunsui just barely dodged the flying piece of metal. That was just a feint, though… the real attack was the chain, which attempted to catch his opponents' ankle. But Shunsui seemed to feel it and sonido'd away before he could be caught. And unfortunately, he managed to snag back his other weapon. Jun mentally cursed himself for letting the chain get too close to him.

The fight got fiercer but finally came to a close after Jun scored a good hit on Shunsui's shoulder with the dagger. They continued a bit longer after that, until Jun made another cut on his chest. Then he leapt back, lowering his weapons.

"You've taken a hit on your shoulder from my acid blade, and now your chest. You're disabled if not dead." He pointed out and Shunsui paused, utter frustration passing over his face.

"How can you fight like that? It's like you know all my attacks!" He said angrily and Jun smiled, a touch sadly. That was part of it, although it wasn't just that. To his eyes, Shunsui hadn't fully settled into his style of swordplay and he wasn't working well with his zanpakuto, either. They had a long way to go. So did Jun, but his zanpakuto were more naturally aggressive than Katen Kyokotsu.

"I do have an advantage." He said lightly. "Don't worry about it. It can only make you better." Sparring against someone who was onto his abilities could only make Shunsui cleverer.

"Hmph… you should try sparring against Yama-jii. He'll show you exactly how much you have to learn." Shunsui said with a scowl and Jun smiled at the thought.

"Oh, believe me, I know I have plenty to learn." The 'real' Shunsui could put him onto the ground as often as he liked. Jun had managed to surprise him several times but hadn't come close to defeating him. "But I would like to see how quickly Yamamoto Soutaichou could put me in the dirt." His guess was very fast. Then Jun blinked as he heard a chuckle behind him.

"I am glad to see you have a realistic appraisal of your own skill, youngster." Jun winced a little to himself as he turned and bowed to the Soutaichou. "Perhaps you would like to see how quickly you can eat that earth, then?"

"If you wish to show me, sensei." He said respectfully and raised his weapons. Yamamoto didn't bother with his shikai, but he didn't need to. A few moments later Jun was on his back, seeing stars. There was laughter from the watchers, but he didn't mind. It was a very familiar sensation.

Some things just didn't change.

* * *

"I'm almost starting to like him." Shunsui admitted as Juushiro smiled. "He's a lot like you."

"Yes, he is." Juushiro murmured as they watched Haru pick himself up for the third time. Yamamoto had made a point with the first bout, but now he was teaching the young man. He was very dedicated, concentrating hard as the Soutaichou advised him where he was going wrong. "He'll be great, someday." Although he would never really know. That would be up to Shunsui. That thought made him suddenly hug his friend, surprising him.

"Juu? What's wrong?" Shunsui said, concerned and Juushiro just smiled at him.

"Nothing's wrong. In fact, something is very right." It made him feel happy, knowing that they would be together for a very long time. And even after he was gone, Shunsui would be happy again.

That was priceless.

* * *

Jun wasn't expecting things to go so incredibly wrong.

They had all been sent into the Living World for a training exercise, clearing the area of hollows. But then giant ones began to appear. They were too much for most of the students but he, Juushiro and Shunsui could handle them. They covered the retreat for the others. Jun was highly suspicious, though. This kind of behavior was not at all typical of hollows.

Jun knew quite a bit about hollows that Shunsui and Juushiro just couldn't know. That was courtesy of Coyote Starrk. The arrancar had been captured alive and kept as a kind of trophy. He wore a reiatsu limiter but didn't seem to mind, and gave guest lectures at the Academy on the nature of hollows, hollow behavior and abilities in general. It was informative and amusing, particularly when he stopped midway through to take a nap and his little friend kicked him awake.

"What are they doing here? There's no food for them here." He muttered. These creatures were all verging on Gillian class and should have been predating each other on the edge of the Menos forest.

"What do you mean? We're food for them." Shunsui pointed out and Jun shook his head.

"But we weren't here until a few hours ago. They must have been here before us and there's no food here. Something has attracted them to this location." Jun licked a bit of sweat off his upper lip as Juushiro used his shikai. Flashes of lighting bisected a lumbering hollow, reducing it to nothing. "We need to get out of here…" But they couldn't, not until the other students were gone. They were still making their way through the senkaimon.

Jun stiffened as he felt the air around them suddenly fill with an oppressive reiatsu. That worried him, deeply, because it felt stronger than him. And, by association, stronger than Juushiro and Shunsui.

"Well, well. So you are the ones." The voice was vaguely scratchy and they all readied themselves, searching through the shadows for their opponent. The giant hollows pulled back, almost fearful? Then something new showed itself.

It was a hollow, but human sized. That immediately put Jun on guard. Starrk had told them, in an uninterested way, that human sized adjuchas were rare and human _shaped_ adjuchas were even rarer. Almost always, they had an animal like form. This, though, was no animal. It looked like a man but covered in bone, with very nasty looking, curving blades on his arms. Bright red eyes looked out at them from behind a visor of bone, cruelly amused.

"Vasto Lorde." Jun muttered. That was not good.

"What?" Shunsui sounded perplexed and Jun hesitated. The incredibly rare Vasto Lorde probably hadn't been classified at this time. He didn't get a chance to speak anyway. The hollow was talking.

"Foolish little children, to have so many enemies." He said in a sing-song tone and Jun bit his lip, wondering why HE was here. What business would a Vasto Lorde have in the real world? None… unless someone had convinced him otherwise.

"And which of those enemies bargained with you to come here and risk your life?" He returned, his voice cool. He saw Shunsui lift his eyebrows and Juushiro shoot him a surprised look. Too many shinigami thought of hollows as mere beasts, and many were… but not Vasto Lorde. And, to a lesser extent, Adjuchas. The hollow just laughed.

"Why should I tell you that?" Then he attacked. His powers were fire and darkness based and very quickly, he had them on the defensive. It was like they were facing a taichou and all three of them only had shikai.

But it was three to one and their potential was high. Gradually, they got used to his attacks and began to coordinate against him… or so they thought. Things went very bad, very quickly when the hollow abruptly unleashed something new against them. Black wolves, like animate shadows with eyes of bright red, attacked them mercilessly. They were a distraction, though, and Jun grit his teeth as he saw the Vasto Lorde launching an attack on Juushiro.

"No you don't!" He snapped the chain free and used it in an effort to entangle the powerful hollow. To his surprise, it worked. The acid blade buried deep in the creature's shoulder, making it howl in pain. Jun leapt forward, his fire sword leading the way.

Just in time for the chain to snap. Jun tried to abort his lunge but it was too late. An arm plunged into his body and he gasped as the blade tore upwards, through his chest and lungs. The Vasto Lorde gripped the end of the broken chain, jerking him forward and Jun sensed that it meant to take his soul. But…

"Pyrrhic victory." He whispered as the blade in his hand flared. He could feel his skin blistering, hear the yells behind him as Juushiro and Shunsui sensed the building power. The Vasto Lorde's eyes widened and it tried to let go of the chain, but it stuck to the bone, determined to see this through. Then he plunged his sword through the creature's chest.

The explosion was localized but intense. A great pillar of fire erupted, shooting towards the sky. Juushiro and Shunsui both shielded their faces from it, their robes whipping in the wind generated. When the blast ended, they both lowered their hands to look. There was nothing left but a charred circle and a few fragments of white bone, which quickly vanished in a sparkle of black.

"Haru…" Shunsui whispered as Juushiro swallowed, his brown eyes filling with tears. "He just…"

"Yes." Glancing around, Juushiro saw the giant hollows they had been fighting them had all fled. Apparently, the one Haru had defeated had been the leader. That made him frown. They'd never encountered hollows working together before. What had that creature been? "Vasto Lorde." He murmured, remembering what Haru/Jun had called it. "I hope…" He hoped that somehow, Jun wasn't dead. That he'd gone home, to his time and space. Shunsui looked hopelessly for anything they could take back before shaking his head.

"There's nothing. No sign of his body at all." He said sadly and Juushiro nodded.

"We need to get back." And figure out who could be dealing with hollows. What had been promised to this one? Probably souls. Juushiro felt a surge of rage at the thought but knew it was quite possible. There were nobles that would do such a thing, in their quest to stop Yamamoto's reforms before they could begin. "And find out who was behind this."

"Oh yes." That made Shunsui's eyes flare with anger. Moving purposefully, they departed for Soul Society. Behind them, a rain started and the few fires the explosion had set gradually went out.

Nothing remained.

* * *

"Nnn." Jun blinked, feeling strangely heavy and tired. Yet, he must have been sleeping. Why was he so tired? "What… happened…?" His mouth was very dry. He tried to sit up and discovered he was connected to several pieces of equipment. "Um…" Some of it was beeping, now.

"Shimizi-san!" He looked up with a blink, seeing a very tall woman with pale hair, smiling at him. She seemed very relieved. "You're awake! How are you feeling?" She asked with concern, quickly checking him with her hands and kido. He watched her, bewildered as his mind processed all of his recent memories.

"Err, fine." Was he in the present or the past? He didn't know her so he honestly couldn't know. "What happened?" That question should tell him when and where he was.

"Mayuri ran some kind of test on you. He swears it shouldn't have harmed you but you fell into a trance." She said and Jun smiled in pure relief. He was home. "It's been a week and no one could wake you. Do you feel well?"

"I feel wonderful." He said warmly. He was actually feeling quite good, as his body fully awoke from his enforced rest. "Forgive me, I didn't catch your name?" And he didn't know her at all.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Kotetsu Isane." She apologized and he blinked at the last name. "You know my sister Kiyone?"

"Oh, yes, I most definitely do." He said with a smile and she laughed, a soft, sweet sound. "Can you let Shunsui know I'm awake? He must be worried." He could only imagine how that had played out. Jun was absolutely certain that Mayuri had gotten leaned on, hard. Isane nodded rapidly.

"Of course!" She called up a hell butterfly and sent it off with a message before going to fetch Unohana. Jun just relaxed, waiting. He would need them to unhook him from the monitoring equipment.

They were in the process of doing that when Shunsui appeared. He flashed stepped in so abruptly that Isane flinched and Unohana gave him an admonishing look. He didn't notice, though, too focused on the man in the bed.

"Jun!" Jun found himself soundly hugged and smiled in pure relief as he rested a hand on Shunsui's shoulder. This was the man he knew, pink kimono and straw hat and all. "Kami, what happened? I've been so worried." He said and brown eyes met grey. The grey were filled with intense emotion and Jun swallowed, feeling deeply touched by the concern.

"I… went on a spiritual trip. It wasn't bad. In fact, I think it was meant to be." What would have happened if he hadn't been there? Would Shunsui and Juushiro have prevailed, but at the cost of one of their lives? Jun supposed he would never know, since it hadn't happened that way. "Shunsui, do you remember someone named Shimizi Haru?" He asked and Shunsui stared at him.

"…No… wait… wasn't that…?" Shunsui's eyes widened as he abruptly remembered. "Sweet kami! Jun, that was you?!" With his memory jogged he could see the resemblance. Jun laughed, nodding with a smile.

"You see why we couldn't tell you the truth." He said gently as Shunsui swallowed, looking overwhelmed. "I am definitely Juushiro's reincarnation. I don't know how Mayuri sent me into the past, but I know that now." That intense connection between them could mean nothing else.

"Sweet kami." Shunsui whispered then suddenly smiled. "I can't wait to see the look on Yama-jii's face when I tell him!" He sounded almost gleefully and Jun laughed. "…I always regretted his death. Your death. How did I not recognize your shikai? I'm an idiot." He said softly and Jun shook his head.

"It was a long time ago." It was no wonder Shunsui had almost forgotten about that incident. "Mmm… you know, now I can honestly say I defeated you once." He said teasingly and Shunsui gave him a severe look before smiling again.

"Really? Well, let me give you a piece of advice. Never grow a beard." He said and Jun choked. "You looked absolutely awful."

"Oi!" He protested as Shunsui smiled. "I couldn't help it. Those razors you used back then were terrifying!"

"Ah, Jun, that's what barber shops are for!" He said lightly and Jun considered smacking him. "But you didn't have any money, did you? There were no recruit allowances back then."

"No, I was completely broke." He said and Shunsui laughed. "Can I get out of here? I want to go home." Home to the Academy, to Shunsui's place… back to his life. Meeting his past self and a young Shunsui had been a great experience but he was so relieved to be where he belonged. Even his soul felt better and Jun could feel the satisfaction of his zanpakuto. Shunsui nodded, sobering a bit.

"We should get you to the Academy first. Everyone has been very worried." He said and Jun nodded. He could imagine. After a few more kido tests, he was allowed to leave. He smiled as they launched into shunpo. Shunsui was faster than him, which was how it should be.

Everything was how it should be.


End file.
